Heart or Head?

HEART OR HEAD

'A peaceful follows any decision, even the wrong ones' - said a wise man.

It is one of the most disputed question while making a decision: Whom to listen; heart or the head..? The problem is that either one can casually contradict the another one, but this 'casual' attitude causes casualty. This kind of a dilemma arises when a person is facing a problem or rather a personal problem. And if he/she chooses either one, the other is in waiting for a vengeful reaction. It is, in fact, not possible to please both your heart & head(brain). Only one of them is going to last till the very end. For instance, a very common one: A small child has some money, he sees something which he always wanted but as per the instruction given by the guardians he'll try to avoid what he wants - here the child is delegating for his house & he isn't allowed to have his own wish full-filled. The example clearly states that no matter what decision the person takes, he'll never be completely satisfied(mentally) for his 'wish' will never be fulfilled.

It's like a person is asked to cut either of his own arms & it is up to him to choose the arm he loves less - which is impossible. But the main question is - What put the person in this place? The answer differs for various individuals but a general answer to that is - That person's deeds. It's 'Karma' which is elaborated in the 'Bhagwat Gita'. A man is going to face the outcomes, no matter joyous or horrifying, of his own deeds. There is a line in Christopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins' - "It is not who I'm underneath but what I do that defines me". Our work indeed defines our individuality. We all want to be different from others & we all are, technically, but the fact is that - 'The difference between how we're alike is much more than that separating us'. The person mustn't have foreseen the consequences he'd have to face for it & that's why the dilemma arise to choose either of the two ends of the same string.

Heart is emotional, there's no denying that. It'll always lead us to what we want & also heart is dominant in most of us. When a person thinks from heart, other factors tend to have been hidden for him. On the other hand, if a person thinks from his head, his life is no better. The person will have a complete logical personality without any slightest intention of letting heart take control of things for it i.e. either of them cannot think straight whilst the other dominates. But it is not healthy at all to let heart be on the driver seat. For example: A surgeon's daughter is admitted & is in queue for surgery - here two possible scenarios arise stating the condition of his heart(mental, emotional) condition: (1) He'll not be able to perform the surgery as he loses confidence (2) He'll bring her up in the order, not thinking about other patients. Both these scenario's tend to show the fragility of a father. He's the one who has to decide whether he's first a doctor or a father.

But the million dollar question is - Can heart actually think? I mean that within the limits of my knowledge, only brain has the property of thinking. So why do people say that - "He or She is thinking from the heart & not brain"..? There is a nerotransmitter in the brain called 'Dopamine' which is responsible for pleasure, same as 'Serotonin' is responsible for learning, sleep etc. I won't go in much detail but the point is that brain is the only organ that can think. But the decisions taken 'emotionally' are termed as 'decisions taken by heart'. After all heart is the organ supplying blood to the entire body..!!

Brain believes in raw facts i.e. what it saw, heard whereas heart believes in what it 'feels'. When a person has based his entire lifestyle on principles, ethics etc; he makes most of his decision at that time even the one's that other's can never understand. So its up to the individual person to try to distinguish himself whether he wishes to believe the facts or what he feels, which is also known as 'Gut Feeling'. As it is said - "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder", it depends completely upon the person to analyze the situation & act accordingly. It is also not always wise to think logically.

Also while decision making, friends, relatives, family also play a major role in changing the person's perception towards the problem. Some of them come up with some great ideas but most of them require more crafting & hence the person is sandwiched between what he believes in doing & what he wishes to do..! The person must also realize that his decisions will be used to criticize him or praise him in the future. Also his decisions are going to affect his surroundings too. The person must keep in mind that he's the one who has to nail his binding decision irrespective of thinking much about others but only the one's concerned. Thinking takes too much time & hence decreasing the possibility of a satisfactory decision. The person will be dissatisfied with whatever he decides. A 'perfect' decision is the one in which a person listens to all his well-wishers, friends, family etc. but finally takes the decision which he thinks is appropriate & wouldn't harm other's much. This way, he uses both his heart & head to decide.

"Our perceptions are often colored by what we hope, what we fear & what we love."

I'd like to conclude this topic by stating Erich Saeur's quote - "The direction of a man's thought is always the decisive factor in his personality. His whole outer life will be determined by the inward inclination of his mind."

Happy Decision Making

Best,

A