Ben Greenfield argues that excessive rigidity—e.g., slavish adherence to schedules, wristwatches, and calendars—undermines creativity and long-term psychological well-being. He acknowledges that disciplined people can be impactful, but stresses that the happiest and most sustainably impactful individuals allow space for free creative flow rather than unbending rigidity.
Rigidity is kind of the enemy of creativity. See, the human who is a rigid slave to their wristwatch is a slave to their calendar and a slave to their schedule. And this type of rigid adherence to time is eventually going to break that human psyche. Now, great men and women certainly can and do accomplish much via what might be interpreted as strict rigidity. But. But look closely and you'll find that many of those great men and women also include allowance for free creative flow, and oftentimes a lot of free creative flow. Those that do not allow for the flow tend to be unhappy people. Sure, they're impactful people, but they're unhappy people to be happy and simultaneously impactful. See, you have to have a certain strength of body, mind, spirit, and character, but you must not confuse that strength with unbending rigidity.
The Solution to Aging Might Be Closer Than Anyone Realizes - With Ben Goertzel
