by August Aurora James

Created on: March 20, 2010   Last Updated: April 02, 2010

Ah, "follow your heart." What a wonderfully convenient saying. How else do we respond when someone asks us for advice on a particularly sticky situation? "Just follow your heart," we confidently tell our friends and family, and the recipient of this response smiles and suddenly everything is made clear, and they know exactly what to do, right? It seems a weight has been lifted from their shoulders just to hear that comforting saying. Now, what does this saying actually mean? Well, your heart lets you know how you feel about things, and to follow your heart would mean to do as you feel. In this case, i am not someone who, (for the most part), “follows their heart” when making decisions, big or small.  In fact, I’m not even sure how this saying pertains to subjects of actual relevance. Rather, my mind, my instincts, and my gut have served me far more in terms of better decision making. One of my favorite lines from poetry is, “See, I’ve never been the type to use my heart to think, because I have a brain.” 

Whether you view this saying as the way to live your life, or believe it to be three hollow words the product of psychological mumbo jumbo, what it actually comes down  to is one question: what is a better tool in sound decision making? An emotional response or a logical one?

While some may argue this question, generally most people would agree that making logical decisions will benefit you far more in the long run than to simply act upon how you feel. Even if a certain situation elicits an emotional response, the wiser way to go about it would be to first process the information before acting upon your initial feelings.  Once someone understands the options before them can they begin to make a well informed decision, even if it may be slightly influenced by emotion, all sides of the equation have been thoughtfully considered. If everyone followed their emotions and allowed every feeling they had about everyone and everything to dictate what they did , what would this world become? Easy: A world without order.

This isn’t to say not to allow your heart to rule in emotional settings.  After all, what would human relationships and bonds be without emotion? Feelings, good and bad, let us know that we are alive, and the person who experiences them more often is most likely leading a fuller life than the person who doesn’t.  But “following your heart,” really means to take nothing else, not circumstance, not experience, not logic, into account other than your own feelings in making a decision, which really just becomes nothing more but a decision illinformed.  

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