Discovering ourselves

Discovery

There are many things we try the once and avoid thereafter. Olives are one such thing. Many can find such strong tastes revolting - more of a shock and surprise though, as it can be a taste like no other, far different to what we have eaten before. Yet lots of people acquire a taste for them, overcoming any early resistance. The more you eat the less of a surprise it is. You begin to notice the subtle flavours. Not everyone will enjoy olives despite eating a full bucket load. Those that do, appreciate the qualities of such foodstuffs and get lifelong enjoyment from them. You discover what you like as you try things out, but you can only discover your preferences if you overcome any initial objection.

Ice skating may provide another example of this effect. You go ice skating. You fall over. You don't go again. Years down the line you meet an attractive partner who is hell bent on showing you how to skate. You hold hands because they are attractive, and it reduces your attraction to the floor. More practice leads to more competence and for some (not all) ice skating turns out to be something rather enjoyable. The preference was always there; it just laid there undiscovered. Our first impression of ice skating may not have been very positive. You can’t decide whether you enjoy something until you try it out properly and overcome the problems and difficulties you have with it.

A simple bare-bones song may chime with you instantly. Given that it is rather basic, one could get bored of it quite quickly though. Other songs have a lot more going on. More instruments creating a barrage of sound. One needs to listen to these fuller richer songs a good few times to appreciate the refinements of the arrangement. It is not until the track is played a fair few times that we discover the greatness. Discovery takes effort and time. Discovery is an essential part of understanding your preferences. You can’t make any claims about your preferences until you have tried all there is to be tried and tried them all wholeheartedly.