Chapter 77

Two ships pass in the ocean, one celebrating success, the other chasing doom. This chapter reveals a pattern as old as humanity: when people become consumed by a single goal, they can't recognize or value any other form of success. The Bachelor's captain has achieved everything a whaler should want—full barrels, happy crew, journey home. But to Ahab, this triumph is meaningless noise. He sees only failure in their ignorance of Moby Dick. This pattern operates through selective blindness. When we fixate on one definition of success or failure, our minds literally cannot process alternatives. Ahab has reorganized his entire reality around revenge. The Bachelor's joy doesn't register as real to him—it's like showing color to someone who sees only in black and white. His obsession has rewired his ability to recognize value. What should be celebrated (profit, safety, homecoming) becomes contemptible. What should be questioned (sacrificing everything for revenge) becomes sacred. We see this pattern everywhere today. The parent so focused on their child getting into college they miss the kid falling apart from pressure. The worker so obsessed with a promotion they alienate the team they'd need to lead. The patient so fixated on one diagnosis they reject treatments that could actually help. In hospitals, families sometimes become so locked onto one outcome—full recovery—they can't hear discussions about comfort care or quality of life. They pass right by the 'Bachelor' options that could bring peace. When you recognize this pattern—when someone can't even see your reality because they're trapped in their own—you have choices. First, check yourself: What 'Bachelor ships' are you sailing past? What success are you dismissing because it doesn't match your fixation? Second, with others showing this pattern, don't argue about whose reality is 'true.' Instead, acknowledge their goal, then expand the frame: 'I hear that X matters most to you. What else might we be missing while we focus there?' Sometimes the best navigation is knowing when two ships simply need to pass. When you can recognize when obsession has narrowed someone's reality, see the 'Bachelor ships' they're missing, and choose whether to engage or let them pass—that's amplified intelligence.