Five Malfunctions That Arise When You Live by Your Own Standards — Unsteadiness Is Not a Character Flaw, but a Structural Issue.
Five Malfunctions That Arise When You Live by Your Own Standards — Unsteadiness Is Not a Character Flaw, but a Structural Issue.
We explored this in Advanced Level 2. Humans instinctively try to become their own standard. And that structure creates anxiety, comparison, and endless need for validation. So now a more specific question remains: If I am the standard, how exactly do I malfunction? Today, we examine five recurring malfunction patterns in daily life.
Key Summary.
Humans constantly change through condition, emotion, relationships, and comparison. If I am the standard, that standard also changes daily. Therefore, instability is not a personality trait but a result of the structure.
Malfunction 1: Sleep·Stamina Malfunction — The standard is tied to condition.
Jihoon worked late. He only slept for 3 hours. Arriving at work in the morning, he looked at the project. “This is impossible. It's too complicated. It's beyond me.” He rested well over the weekend. Monday morning, he looked at the same project. “Huh? It's more manageable than I thought. This is fine.” Did the project change? No. Jihoon's condition changed. Yet Jihoon felt his judgment was objective in both cases. Whether tired or rested the next day, he thought both were “my judgment.” This is a malfunction. If your own condition is the standard, life gets evaluated based on your condition. On tired days, everything seems impossible. On rested days, everything seems possible. Then it's natural to waver. Because the standard is a state that changes daily.
Flaw 2: Comparison Flaw — The benchmark shifts to others.
Soojin ran 10km today. It was her personal best. She felt proud. She posted it on SNS. But while scrolling her timeline, she saw a friend's post: “Finished a half marathon! 21km!” In that moment, Soojin's 10km felt insignificant. “Why did she post about 10km? Others run half marathons.” Did Su-jin's record change? No. Her point of comparison changed. Here's the crucial point: Su-jin thought she was living by her own standards. But in reality, someone else had become her standard. This is the core of Malfunction 2. The moment I become the standard, the standard extends outward. When someone better than me appears, the standard rises. When someone worse than me appears, the standard drops. The standard isn't me; it's my surroundings. That's why my standard changes every time I check social media.
Fault 3: Mistake Fault — An incident becomes an attack on identity.
Jae-hyun gave a presentation at a meeting. He omitted one crucial piece of data. There are two reactions. A's reaction: "Oh, I missed that data. I'll submit it as supplementary material at the next meeting.“ Jaehyun's reaction: ”Why do I always make these mistakes? I'm just not a meticulous person. I'm not cut out for this job." See the difference? A saw the incident as just that—an incident. Jaehyun saw the incident as a problem with himself. Why the difference? Because Jaehyun is the standard. If Jaehyun is the standard, his mistake is the collapse of that standard. When the standard collapses, Jaehyun himself collapses. That's why omitting one piece of data becomes an identity attack: “I'm not cut out for this job.” If I am the standard, failure isn't just data—it's collapse. This explains why Jaehyun couldn't get up from the couch the day he heard about the team disbanding. The event of the team disbanding connected to an existential collapse: “I am a failure.”
Breakdown 4: Relationship Breakdown — The other person's reaction becomes the judge.
Soojin told her friend the good news. Her friend smiled brightly and said, “Wow, that's amazing! Congratulations!” Soojin's feeling: Proud. I did well. I'm a decent person. The next day, she told the same news to another friend. That friend said flatly, "Oh, really? Good for you." Sujin's mood: Deflated. Was it not a big deal? Did I exaggerate? Am I not good enough? Did the news change? No. The other person's reaction changed. Sujin thought she was living by her own standards. But in reality, the other person's reaction was determining Sujin's worth. I say I'm the standard, but in reality, the other person's reaction is the standard. Then relationships become trials, not meetings. Your value fluctuates based on how the other person reacts. That's why you get nervous around important people, watch their reactions, and get shaken by every bit of feedback.
Failure 5: Choice Overload Failure — Responsibility creates overload.
Jihoon turned on the streaming service. He wanted to watch a movie. For 30 minutes, he scrolled. “This seems boring, this is too heavy, I think I've seen this...” In the end, he chose nothing and turned it off. Why does this happen? Because if I am the standard, the outcome of every choice becomes attached to my very existence. “What if this movie is boring? Then I made the wrong choice.” “What if this movie wastes my time? That means I lack judgment.” Choosing a movie becomes a test of one's judgment. Choosing a career path becomes a test of one's existence. Choosing a relationship becomes a test of one's worth. When I am the standard, every choice becomes a test. The more tests there are, the more I freeze. This isn't a matter of willpower. It's overload.
Self-assessment questions.
Answer the following questions honestly. Does my judgment deteriorate sharply when I'm tired? Does a problem seem impossible after pulling an all-nighter, but seem possible after sleeping? Does seeing social media make me question my own worth? Does my achievement feel meaningless if someone else does better, even when I do well? When I make a mistake, do I conclude “I'm just...”? Do events feel like attacks on your identity? Do you get shaken by others' reactions in relationships? If someone is expressionless, do you feel inadequate, and if they praise you, do you feel okay? Do you freeze when faced with many choices? Do you postpone decisions about career, relationships, or investments? If three or more apply, the problem isn't willpower but your reference system. This isn't a personality issue. It's a structural problem. You must reframe the question from “Why am I like this?” to “Why is my reference system like this?”
Structural Conclusion.
Combining these five points leads to one conclusion. If I am the standard, the standard changes daily. It shifts based on my condition. It changes depending on the comparison. It collapses over a single mistake. It wavers based on reactions in relationships. You freeze when faced with choices. So it's natural to waver. Because the standard changes. Jihoon couldn't sleep before every presentation. Soojin's mood shifted every time she checked SNS. Jaehyun collapsed at the news of the team disbanding. This isn't because these three are weak. It's because all three were living by their own standards.
Today's Key Takeaway.
Wavering isn't a personality flaw. It's structural. If your standard is yourself, and you change, your standard changes too. When your standard changes, repetition stops. When repetition stops, your routine collapses. When your routine collapses, you resolve anew. But if your standard is still yourself, it collapses again. If the structure doesn't change, the result doesn't change either.
Next step.
Now the question remains: What are the conditions for an unchanging standard? Does such a standard actually exist? Advanced Level 4 analyzes that condition. If the five failures examined today apply to you, this is not a weakness. It's because the structure is designed that way. The next step examines the conditions that can change that structure.
👉 [Advanced Level 4: “The Condition for an Unchanging Standard”]
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