There’s this poignant scene in the Honey & Clover drama where Mayama asks demands, “How do I become an adult? What do I do become a person who can support someone else?” How does someone become a person people can rely on? Several episodes later he answers his own question: start behaving like that person. It errs on the melodramatic side, but this scene really touches upon something so quintessentially human.

When thinking about this scene recently, The As If Principle quickly came to mind. The title of this enthralling book by Richard Wiseman comes from the words of William James:

If you want a quality, act as if you already have it.

The realization doesn’t quite come to Mayama in that form, but Continue reading →