Heart Vs. Reason

 

Philosophy is the study of problems, of things that perplex us and make us question.  Here’s a question for you.  Why do we put ourselves in the position to be hurt even when we’ve been hurt before?  Why do we give others the chance to get beneath our skin or have access to our heart?  We know it won’t end well, and yet we hope.  We hope that this time will be different, that things will turn out “happily ever after” and all our worries will vanish.  We ignore all logic, relying on our feelings.  Is that why Plato said reason could not be found in our senses?  I used to have a hard time believing reason only came with logic, but in reality, how can our senses be logical when they usually lead us to repeat our mistakes?  What is it that we are doing wrong?  Why is it that we decide to stand close to the fire even when we’ve been burned?  Do we yearn to feel something?  Do we believe the fire will be kinder the second time around, and simply warm us?  Are we simply naïve?  But it seems that we know what we are doing… our logic tells us to back up and forget about it.  But we ignore that logic.  We follow what we want, what we feel.  Is that our downfall?  And yet, even as I write this, I know I won’t follow my own advice.  I won’t stop listening to my heart… the question is why? I guess for me, it’s about being vulnerable and living life to the fullest.  Sometimes I feel too much, but it’s in the moments when I feel true pain or true joy that I know I am giving life everything that I have.  I surrender to these feelings because they make me feel like my life means something.  It’s hard to explain why we set ourselves up for failure, why we follow our hearts instead of our minds.  But if we were always cautious, always thought about the effects of the things we do before we do them, would we be living our life for all it’s worth?  If we aren’t following our feelings, are we somehow failing?  But if we aren’t listening to our reason, are we also failing?  There’s a line in a Lauren Alaina song that says “There aint no greater distance than the 18 inches from your head to your heart,” and she couldn’t be more right.  When we follow our hearts, we are taking a risk.  Maybe that’s why we do it.  Do we get a rush or a thrill from taking a chance?  There isn’t much chance in following reason.  We also make mistakes when we follow our hearts, but that gives us the chance to learn and grow from those mistakes. If we use reason, we are less likely to mess up, to do something childish.  But does that then make us less likely to grow?  What is the point of our existence if not to grow and become better? The funny thing about questions like this is that you can ponder them for hours, and yet you still don’t find a concrete answer.  You form ideas about it, but you can’t say anything for sure.  And that, my friends, is why there are philosophers: to take on the daunting task of pondering those questions, and attempting to formulate solutions.