Now that we understand the see-feel-act pattern, let’s go back to some previous posts to see it in action.
In Strike the Root, Save Millions, I explained that when we trace problems to their source we make big fixes. Dr. Snow saved millions tracing a deadly disease to its source instead of just treating symptoms. In the same way, when we find the source of our feelings and actions by seeing the way we see the situation, ourselves, others, and so on, we can fix big and pervasive problems in our attitudes and behavior.
In the same post and similar posts, I quote Thoreau, who wrote, “For every thousand hacking at the branches of evil, there’s one striking at the root.” For every thousand tho see the branches of emotion and behavior and try to solve problems at that level, there’s only one who discerns the deeper root of the problem by “seeing the way they see.” Just like physical roots are invisible, below ground, so are thought-roots. It’s rare to “see how we see,” because we always look through the lens of understanding, but rarely look at the lens. Looking at the lens, seeing how we see, is the first step to major transformation.
In Thinking About Thinking, I told the story of Harold the wrong-way driver. The way Harold saw the situation (hundreds driving the wrong way) naturally created feelings (fear of others) and actions (he kept driving). When we see the situation the wrong way, our feelings and actions align and turn out the wrong way too.
In Ping-Pong Paradigm, I showed how the way we see the game affects the way we feel and act in the game. If we see the game as traditional ping-pong, we feel aggression toward the opponent and slam the ball. If we see the game as high-volley ping-pong, we feel supportive to the playing partner, and avoid slamming the ball. Different emotions and actions spring from different ways of seeing the game.