A Ulysses pact or Ulysses contract is a freely made decision that is designed and intended to bind oneself in the future.
The concept comes from Greek mythology.
In the story, Ulysses wants to hear the Sirens' song although he knew that doing so would render him incapable of rational thought. He had the crew tie him to the mast so that he could not jump into the sea. He ordered them not to change course under any circumstances and to keep their swords upon him and to attack him if he should break free of his bonds.
This is an allegory. The story gives us the concept of tying our hands - metaphorically - from behavior we know we can not resist.
For me, it is not buying Oreo cookies. They are so good I will eat the entire package thus overeating my calories. So I have a Ulysses contract with myself to never buy those cookies.
No comments:
Post a Comment