Under the Bridge

“Only in the last few hundred years… have reason and logic come to dominate the mindset of mainstream Western civilization… what did it supplant? Emotional responses. The “thoughts of the heart… Our utter dependence on reason and cool logic is a recent cultural phenomenon…” (Hemflelt, Minirth, Meier, “Love Is A Choice”, 1982.

Like most people I like logic, deductive reasoning, analytical investigations and the like. Logic is the use of valid reason given a set of information. Often people challenge my logic, sometimes I change my mind based on others showing me my faulty logic. Sometimes I see flaws in theirs that reinforces my own position. Many decisions we make in life are based on logic, “that would be the logical choice”. And yet logic doesn’t entirely satisfy me.

Having just spent a few days analysing financial figures, market trends and available resources I am in a good position to make some logical business choices. But it doesn’t feel right. Some call it intuition, some say listen to your heart, others would call it spiritual. Wherever it  might come from, it is an emotional response that does not add up to what logic tells me.

What should we do with, logic, or intuition? I extol the virtues of logic and the centuries of benefit we have reaped through its application, and yet many find that at the core of their being is an emotional response that can’t be ignored. Perhaps the answer is that we should go with our intuition and temper it with logic. After all there are many good things that are not logical at all, like forgiveness, like love, like life.

So I think I’ll work it all out in my head… and then go with my heart!