Chapter 12Mind over Matter
Painfully Aware
Consider a turkey that is fed every day. Every single feeding will firm up the bird's belief that it is the general rule of life to be fed every day by friendly members of the human race “looking out for its best interests,” as a politician would say. On the afternoon of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, something unexpected will happen to the turkey. It will incur a revision of belief.
—Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan
I've had several old mercury fillings replaced and two root canals done over the past decade, all of which have been performed without anesthetic of any kind. No, I'm not a masochist, but rather a hyperrealist; one who enjoys an honest risk/reward analysis and welcomes a serious mental challenge. There are four things I always hated about visiting the dentist: (1) sound of the drill, (2) shrapnel that threatens to slide down my throat while my mouth is wedged open, (3) multiple, painful Novocain shots in the gums, and (4) numbness that leaves me drooling and unable to eat or talk normally for hours after the office visit is over. The first two can't be solved and the last two are actually self‐inflicted. I've found that even with Novocain getting cavities drilled out and fillings put in is a painful endeavor. Ultimately, the question is whether the combination of Novocain shots + lingering numbness + reduced procedure pain produces a more pleasant cumulative experience than no shots + no numbness + heightened procedure ...