Ok, Al, I apologize for hijacking, and I'll try to answer for you.
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Originally Posted by Al Schoonmaker
Hi Everybody,
Despite enjoying this discussion, I must point out that nearly everyone has not even tried to answer my original questions:
1. Have you tried to apply David's system?
Yes.
It worked. But then, I have fairly strong willpower (I think).
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3. What did you learn from trying to apply it?
My theory was that taste preferences for food were almost entirely habitual, based on environment, and illusory. There were plenty of foods that I "didnt like" but I couldnt square that with the fact that I knew that other people ate them, other people enjoyed them, they contained nutrition, my body requires nutrition, etc. It just didnt make sense to "not like tomatoes." So, for about ten years, I just ate everything, even things that disgusted me, or things that I knew from being a kid that I absolutely hated. The joy I got from doing this was in trying to confirm my theory, and trying to alter/broaden my taste preferences in the long-term.
It worked. I'm down to less than half a dozen food items that I dislike, and I would be more than willing to eat any of them for $5. I cant quite bring myself to enjoy cucumbers, rootbeer, beets and maybe a couple other things, but for everything else that I used to "hate," I can now eat and enjoy them without any problems whatsoever.
This has had some pretty excellent impacts on my life, to be honest. The philosophy and attitude its instilled has spilled over into other "taste" preferences, like music, movies, literature. I'm not quite convinced that all taste preferences are as superficial as my food ones turned out to be. But its at the very least given me the tools to go about broadening my ability to enjoy things.
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4. Any suggestions for the rest of us?
Not really. I couldnt even imagine trying to explain how you would do this....just eat a bunch of stuff you dont like, and keep doing it until you like it. This doesnt sound like a very fun game and I cant promise you it will be remotely worth it, so I doubt I'd even recommend it.
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Academic discussions are unlikely to improve your own will power. If you want to do so, I encourage you to TRY David's system, then tell us what happened and what you learned.
More generally, I have seen the same tendency in most threads in this and other forums. It's fun to talk about definitions, etc., but it won't have much impact. The evidence is overwhelming that you are unlikely to change any "skill" without practice and feedback.
Someone will probably want to debate whether will power is or is not a skill. I really don't care. I'm interested in solving a problem that nearly all of us have: We don't have enough will power.
If you are one of us, what are you going to DO about it?
Regards,
Al
Its the internet, thats what its for, nitfests and flamewars. And porn.