10.2 Internal Control

"Intellectuals are the most intolerant of all people."

-Paul Duncan

When people come up with new ideas, it's human nature to try to talk them out of it. The tendency occurs because (psychologists say) one tries to help a person avoid being discouraged by discouraging him or her verbally. While this makes no logical sense, most people engage in this behavior unconsciously. It is natural human behavior. In order to change this behavior, it is best to first observe "how things happen."

Similarly, taking advice is not natural. It just seems obvious that any mature adult knows how to take advice. But in practice, people seldom do because it is not natural. Normally, everyone thinks that they know what they are doing and that they can handle situations with the force of their own will. In a sense, people mistakenly assume that they can control the world, even when they are in a brand-new situation where they don't have a clue "how things happen."

The term brain "in gear" means that a person has achieved a deep state of understanding (about a set of related topics), so that he or she can articulate points very persuasively. A trial lawyer works hard to achieve the state of being "in gear."