Emotions and Intellect: Heart Vs. Head

In this post, I'm going to point out a way of thinking that I believe has slipped into the mind of humanity. It's this idea that the "mind" should trump the "heart" (or vice-versa) in any decision making process. Some people believe emotion is better than intellect, others believe intellect is better. I believe both of those ideas are completely false. I don't believe the head is better than the heart, OR that the heart is better than the head. I would like to submit to you the idea that both emotion and intellect are equally important, and that both play vital roles in making you function as the human you were made to be. Emotion isn't better than logic, and logic isn't better than emotion. Without one or the other, we would be half the people we are designed to be. As always, feel free to verbalize your agreement or disagreement in an open way.

The Head/Intellect/Mind:

As I said just now, there is nothing wrong with the head. It's an amazing creation of God that He gave us for many reasons! My only problem is when we elevate the intellectual, logical, factual part of us OVER our emotional side. The head is smart! It's great at making decisions based on it's knowledge. It weighs odds and assesses risk, it keeps us safe and causes us to think twice, it allows us to think through things and work out our beliefs. All of those are SOO important! Without the Head we would have problems.

The Heart/Emotion:

Emotion gives us just as much as its counterpart. Like the Head, the problem comes when we degrade it or elevate it over its counterpart. Our Heart and Emotion allows us to feel compassion and empathy for the hurting. It allows us to experience joy and happiness. It can be channeled into passion and determination. It allows us to feel the amazing presence of God and others. It allows us to sense auras and feel atmospheres. Without it, (just as with the Head) we would have problems. The Heart is great! I have no problem with Emotion. It's an amazing gift that God has given us that he wants us to grow in.

My point is that both the Head and the Heart have their issues and their benefits. Both intellect and emotion are beautiful things. We must learn how to use both of them instead of degrading one or the other. Emotion can be unreliable, fleeting, evasive, and even deceptive at times...But that doesn't mean it's evil. Intellect can cause you to go through life like a rusty nail that no longer feels the pull of a magnet. It can steal your joy and rob you of abundant life and keep your heart from ever being moved...But that doesn't mean it's evil. We must learn how to not be led solely by one or the other. As humans, we NEED both intellect and emotion in order to live life to the full. I know people who are thinkers and I know people who are feelers. All of us have some of both and neither feelings nor thoughts should be above the other. Think of the Head and the Heart as Husband and Wife. Both need each other, both are different, but neither is better than the other. We shouldn't allow our lives to be lead by only one spouse; either Head or Heart.