
First, a disclaimer. I am the one of the biggest victims of “intuition” there is.
It has proven me wrong, time and time and time again.
Across the current media and social media landscape there is much feeling and emotion (heart) but rarely is it backed up with a full and thorough and skeptical evaluation of not just the facts of any event, but the factual CONTEXT of any event. Chock it up to record levels of division in American society (many foreign powers enjoying it, you can bank on this…).
Sadly, we are not seeing what unites us! And the FACTS of what unite us are quite simple:
Common national border with no border crossings between individual states… this is huge, actually.
Common language… with a nod to diplomatic accommodation of newcomers, English (the language of all pilots worldwide) is spoken in American, albeit with many regional accents and flourishes.
Common Protection. Our US Armed Forces, Federal, State and Local law enforcement, though far from perfect, serve society at large. A look at history shows that many a march and protest has been absolutely crushed by The State. But not here. In fact, protesters seem to feel that freedom extends so very often to looting, which is something I can’t get head or HEART around.
Common Cause… at the end of the day, do we not all prefer FREEDOM along with all the RESPONSIBILITIES that incurs?
Common Care… do you really want to disintegrate your neighbors, your fellow community members… even if they disagree with your opinion? Or, could you think about the VALUE of commonality in a community, state, region, nation and seek to find that extremely elusive thing, that nobody has discussed for at least twenty years, CONSENSUS.
So, lets go “Head” for a moment. (Heart, you can save your reaction to a good novel, movie or dramatic series.) Let’s explore the concept of “Enlightened Self Interest.”
According to Psychology Today®: “Enlightened self-interest refers to the understanding and trust that what a person does to enhance another’s quality of life enhances one’s own quality of life to a similar degree. More simply put, it is the idea that “what goes around comes around.””
So, it is a version of the “Golden Rule”, then? Yes. According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica®: “Golden Rule is precept in the Gospel of Matthew (7:12): “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. . . .” This rule of conduct is a summary of the Christian’s duty to his neighbour and states a fundamental ethical principle. In its negative form, “Do not do to others what you would not like done to yourselves,” it occurs in the 2nd-century documents Didache and the Apology of Aristides and may well have formed part of an early catechism. It recalls the command to “love the stranger (sojourner)” as found in Deuteronomy. It is not, however, peculiar to Christianity. Its negative form is to be found in Tob. 4:15, in the writings of the two great Jewish scholars Hillel (1st century BC) and Philo of Alexandria (1st centuries BC and AD), and in the Analects of Confucius (6th and 5th centuries BC). It also appears in one form or another in the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Isocrates, and Seneca.”
So, the Golden Rule transcends major world religions. What a concept. It must have worked then, it surely would be a welcome alternative now. It probably ALWAYS works because it is based upon KINDNESS, not judgement, or worse.
Back to the HEAD… intellectual evaluation of all things is of great advantage when it comes to informing one’s self before any major decisions or commitments. The “Hearts” intuition, as previously stated, can be so terribly, terribly wrong. What are those facts. What did that individual actually say… is it in print or hearsay? Can it be corroborated… not just be an echo in a single silo that is sorely disconnected to any possible OTHER explanation? Since the turn of the new millenium (Y2K anybody), it seems like all the noise that comes at us from every single source, is largely someone’s “opinion.”
(Please shut up! That’s all of you who I do NOT know – – who attempt to fill up my inboxes with unwanted content! If I want your opinion I will ask for it.)
Instead, why not share your EXPERIENCE? Tell me what happened when you were there. I will add this to my information from others who were there. You know the time-honored adage that “nobody sees a car accident the same way” ? I have found this to be absolutely true. Even those who were accused of wrong doing in a car mishap are often being victimized by the actual wrongdoer. Again, head over heart. We had the unfortunate experience of having one of our vehicles in a bump and bender accident in the past couple of years. The perpetrator accused my spouse of being at fault. However, OUR dent was halfway down the passenger side and HIS dent was on the driver’s side FRONT bumper. So, given the facts, who is at fault? Clearly him. Physical evidence doesn’t lie. In order to avoid the accident, he simply needed to stop. He didn’t and rammed the side of our car. Turns out there was a significant amount of distilled spirits modifying his driving decisions. Head over heart. A simple look at the vehicles revealed the facts, no matter how loud the other driver yelled.
In our current social landscape… everybody has an opinion, and is hiding behind near anonomity of online identities. It’s sort of cowardly, on all fronts. Typing away in seclusion is hardly heroic or inspiring of integrity or honor. Twitter. Geez louise. Like so many things, a good idea gone bad. (“Breaking Bad?”)
But Tweets are the tip of a very large iceberg. We now find ourselves in a soldering pit of self perpetuating informational silos that throw refined gasoline upon the flames of the Heart, but rarely bring a single calorie to the intellect of the Head.
Generation Like
Yes, some of these links may seem dated. But do they? REALLY?
Head over Heart.
Here are two contrasting opinions…
“When something looks too good to be true, it usually is.” – Emmy Rossum
“Today remind yourself that nothing is too good to be true. Your great hopes can be realized. Your most wonderful dreams can come true. All that you really need, you can have. An incredible goodness is operating on your behalf. If you are living a paltry life, resolve to stop it today. Expect great things to happen. ” – Norman Vincent Peale
Which is correct? They both are, I believe. Or at least, most individual’s reality lies somewhere between. I note that Norman Peale’s version does have an imperative “…resolve to stop it today.”
It does complicate things a bit. But, in reality, no. If we are optimistic, but SKEPTICAL, and rely on our own do diligence (PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY), we can be informed on a wide and broad plain… and sift through an event, the multitude of reasons (all sides) for it, historical precedence (it’s all been done before, folks) and more… leading to a sound, and personally cogent amount of intellectual reasoning for an “informed opinion.”
——————————————————–
Long John Silver: (Muppet Treasure Island – looking at skeletons) “Flint hung ’em up there after he gullied ’em… to mark the trail to the treasure. Wicked sense of humor ol’ Flinty had…
Long John’s Crew: “- I-It’s a sign. This is a cursed place. – Yeah!
Long John Silver: “Well, there’s an informed opinion.”