We're drowning in knowledge, aren't we? We know we should exercise regularly. We know we should save at least 20% of our income. We know we should meditate, pray, read actual books, wake up earlier, go to bed without scrolling, drink more water, eat fewer carbs, call our mums more often, and floss. Always with the flossing.
But knowing and doing might as well be distant cousins who haven't spoken since that awkward incident at a funeral fourteen years ago.
As Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Sometimes I wonder if I'm the fool who not only despises wisdom but actively runs in the opposite direction, pizza in hand, screaming, "YOU CAN'T CATCH ME, SENSIBLE DECISIONS!"
The Ancient Battle of Akrasia
This gap between knowing and doing isn't new. The ancient Greeks had a term for it: "akrasia", the state of mind where you act against your better judgement. Essentially, it's when you know exactly what you should do, but bloody well don't do it anyway.
Aristotle spent significant time pondering this phenomenon. He concluded that humans often choose immediate pleasure over long-term good. Thanks for that groundbreaking insight, Aristotle. I'm sure that was worth years of philosophical contemplation. Next you'll be telling me water is wet.
But then again, here I am, 2,400 years later, making exactly the same errors. Perhaps Aristotle deserves more credit than my sarcasm allows.
The Marshmallow Experiment (That I Would Definitely Fail)
In the 1970s, Stanford psychologist Walter Mischel conducted his famous "marshmallow experiment." Children were offered a choice: one marshmallow now or two marshmallows if they waited 15 minutes. The researchers then left the room and watched through one-way mirrors as tiny humans battled their deepest desires.
Some children immediately gobbled the marshmallow. Others tried desperately to distract themselves – covering their eyes, kicking the desk, stroking the marshmallow like a tiny pet. A few actually managed to wait.
The fascinating bit? Follow-up studies showed that the children who waited generally had better life outcomes, higher SAT scores, lower BMI, better social skills.
If they'd conducted this experiment on me as a child, I would have eaten the marshmallow, then asked if there were any more in the kitchen, then probably raided the supply cupboard. Then cried when caught. Then eaten another marshmallow for comfort.
The Spiritual Dimension (Because It's Not All About Marshmallows)
The Apostle Paul captured this frustrating gap between knowing and doing beautifully in Romans 7:15: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
Paul wrote this roughly two thousand years ago, and I've never felt more seen by a biblical figure. The man gets it. He GETS it. This isn't just about failing to hit the gym or wasting time on social media, this is a fundamental human struggle that touches our spiritual core. Right?
In many ways, the entire concept of sin operates in this knowledge-action gap. We know the right path, yet we veer off it repeatedly. Then we feel guilty, promise to do better, and repeat the cycle faster than you can say "New Year's resolution."
The Science Behind Our Spectacular Failure
According to behavioural economist Daniel Kahneman (who wrote "Thinking, Fast and Slow", which I own, have started three times, and never finished), we have two systems of thinking:
System 1: Fast, instinctive, emotional System 2: Slow, deliberate, logical
Our knowledge tends to live in System 2, while our actions are often hijacked by System 1.
This explains why I can write an entire blog post about healthy habits on Tuesday and find myself elbow-deep in a family-sized bag of crisps on Wednesday. System 2 was in charge during the writing. System 1 took over during the snacking.
James Clear, in "Atomic Habits" (which I actually did finish, thank you very much), explains that our environment often dictates our actions more than our intentions. If the crisps weren't in my cupboard, I wouldn't have eaten them. Revolutionary stuff, I know. Someone give the man a Nobel Prize.
The Moses Problem
Consider Moses. The man literally received instructions directly from God on a MOUNTAIN. He came down with stone tablets inscribed by the divine finger itself, only to find his people dancing around a golden calf.
And what did Moses do? Smashed the tablets in anger.
Even with direct, unambiguous, carved-in-stone knowledge from the Almighty, humans still struggled to align their actions accordingly. I find this strangely comforting. If the Israelites couldn't follow rules handed down from actual God, perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on myself for failing to follow the workout plan I found on Pinterest. Perhaps...
The Gap-Closing Techniques (That I'll Probably Never Use)
So how do we bridge this infuriating gap between knowing and doing? The self-help industry has built empires on this question. Here are some of their suggestions:
Implementation intentions: Don't just say "I'll exercise more." Say "When I wake up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I will put on my running shoes and jog for 20 minutes before breakfast." Specific, clear, actionable.
Habit stacking: Attach new habits to existing ones. "After I brush my teeth, I will meditate for five minutes."
Environment design: Make good behaviours easy and bad behaviours hard. Put your phone in another room when working. Keep healthy snacks at eye level in your fridge.
Accountability partners: Tell someone your intentions so they can check in on your progress and mock you when you fail. (Or support you. Whatever works.)
All brilliant advice that I read, nodded along to, bookmarked, and promptly ignored.
The Last-Ditch Effort: Accepting Our Humanity
Perhaps the real solution isn't trying to close the gap entirely, but accepting that the gap is part of being human.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 reminds us: "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, always doing right and never sinning."
Maybe instead of beating ourselves up for failing to perfectly align our actions with our knowledge, we could practice a bit of self-compassion. Acknowledge the gap. Work on narrowing it where possible. Forgive ourselves when we fall short.
And perhaps most importantly, start again. And again. And again.
As G.K. Chesterton wrote, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
The same could be said for most of our good intentions.
The Final Word (Until I Contradict Myself Tomorrow)
It's now approaching 06:00. I've written a blog about the gap between knowledge and action while actively experiencing said gap. There's something deliciously meta about that.
Tomorrow, I'll probably read another health article. I might even buy some fruits. And perhaps, just maybe the distance between my knowledge and my actions will shrink ever so slightly.
Or maybe I'll order some pizza.
Because the gap is real. The struggle is real. And honestly, sometimes the pizza is really good. Well all the time, can't compare pizza to Mr and Mrs Healthy Broccoli and Cauliflower.
But we try again anyway. We do it anyway. We do it either way. We do it all the way.
Even when we know better. Especially when we know better.
Because this is what we do now !
Comments
Post a Comment