Head Vs Heart

A recent conversation with my cousin sparked my thought process about my personal views of what to follow when there is a conflict between the heart and the head. These are my personal opinions, not in anyway absolute truth, that came about because of my life experiences. Before I go further I need to define what I commonly refer to, as the Head and the Heart.

The Head or the mind is a great tool, that lets us analyze and decode a problem, find solutions and is an information processor, whether you're interested in watching the grass grow or listening to a Nobel laureate's dissertation, depending on your level of training. The mind operates in the finite realm, which is why, trying to comprehend the enormity of the Universe or the beginning of time or the concept of God, mostly eludes us, if we used the mind alone.

Contrary to its most common association, emotions are not your heart. Emotions are felt there, but thats just one of the uses of the metaphorical heart. Heart is the part of you, that feels. Its like a magnetic compass, that tells you if you are going north or south.

Making a decision when angry or agitated is not acting from the heart. Infact its far from it. Finding oneself in a state of extreme anger or sadness is often the case when one is not connected with one's heart. (The cause may be justified, but the fact remains - you are not connected with your heart).

Feelings are great, because they cannot be controlled. Their expressions can be controlled, but not the feeling itself. For example, a success in something feels good inside, loss of a personal item/person feels not so good, however much you attempt to mask your feelings about the ups and downs of life. Feeling emotions is natural and what we are born with.

Some spiritual teachers abhor the use of the mind and many extremely logical thinkers deny the use of the heart, but I believe these are two tools that help us lead a better life and neither one in isolation would help make our lives more meaningful.

So what do you do when your mind tells you to do something and that doesn't feel right...or metaphorically, your heart says the opposite? In my personal experience, the heart has been right. Because the heart is intuitive and tends to know a little more than the mind - it can sense the unknown. This is not mystical or psychic - just a tool that all of us humans have. Not all of us have been taught to pay attention to how we feel. But that might just be the key to unlocking our future, or what we refer to as 'luck'.
When I feel anxious without reason, I know that I should be careful where I tread, and try to check inside and feel if taking a different course makes me feel better. When I feel good without any particular reason, I know that I'm on the right track.

Like I said in the beginning of the blog, this is personal, but I can see how the exact argument can be made in favor of the mind and all I would say is, "Do what you've learned from YOUR experience", because words don't teach, only life experience does. :)