Monday 5 December 2016

Reason vs Feelings

One of the things I quickly learned in high school was that people don't think like me. I know- duh!- but it really had not occurred to me that people would have different values and those values shaped their priorities, expectations, desires, and outlook. In elementary school there isn't really much exchanging of ideas or values but in high school there is more emphasis on individuality. You quickly learn your place and if you are not humbled there is something wrong with you.
After being home for several years and being able to choose who I am surrounded by I've almost forgotten this but I was recently reminded of it.

You see, I expect one thing from the people around me: that they are reasonable.
More often then not, however reasonable a person is in their actions and interactions, they are very unreasonable in their thoughts.

The biggest detriments to being reasonable are emotions and feelings. The things we feel and the emotions that take over us inhibit growth and that's why we have this identity politics taking over. Political correctness was borne out of people's feelings.

Recently a person described Prime Minister Trudeau's '2015' comment as 'brilliant'. It's not logically brilliant to say that an equally male to female ratio of cabinet ministers is necessary because 'it's 2015'. It's stupid. The only reason someone can describe that as brilliant is for it to appeal to their feelings.

At the moment I am faced with a problem that cannot be addressed because it would hurt this person's feelings. Believe me when I say I would gladly hurt their feelings to tell them the truth. However, this person has proved that their feelings are more important than reason, growth, and learning. Telling them the truth will serve no other purpose than to hurt their feelings and make them mad at me. So the problem goes on because it cannot be addressed because feelings.

The only way you learn is by hard things. The only way you grow as a person is by seeing or hearing the truth about yourself.
It is not an easy thing but if you want to grow and get better you will put yourself under God's knife and let Him cut away those pieces of you that need to go.

I hope I can always see the truth about myself- it keeps me humble. I hope I can always take the truth about my child and my husband and my family.
Emotions and feelings prevent the truth because the truth hurts. If you can take it, however, that is a great thing because you will learn and grow and God will use you.

The wise in heart will receive
commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.
Proverbs 10:8

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