I think that one of the fundamental and important distinctions between human animals and (probably) all other animals (maybe?) is that we humanoids can be of ‘two minds’ about something…'should I/shouldn’t I? “part of me wants this but another part of me wants that”…“do the dishes or go to bed”…and there’s a million derivations and expressions of that 'two mind ’ behaviour …my best guess is that this is an experience unique to humans, certainly the degree and persistence to which we can participate in having 'two minds’ about something is I would guess. And I always considered that a sort of flaw in the OS of humans because of how problematic it is for most of us. It stalls me and is often at the root of procrastination for me.
But as you describe Delayed Gratification above (which I can see being an expression of having ‘two minds’ about something) I see the possibility of using this OS ‘flaw’ (maybe it’s just a feature and not a flaw?) (as I had perceived it) skillfully and use it in our favour. How we interact with and navigate our tendency of having 'two minds’ about something is what determines whether it is indeed a flaw or simply a feature of being human that we can have agency with and use it toward thriving.
Thank you Rick for providing me the opportunity to walk through this!! 