Trusting Your Instincts
I've mentioned before about what I called left and right-brained thinking. We've all seen the extremes of each. The extreme left-brained sceptic who believes only what he can see and, on the other hand, the extreme right-brained intuitive who believes any conspiracy theory and follows their feelings and impulses, however irrational or contradictory.
There is, however, a lot to be said for following your feelings without dissecting them in a left-brained intellectual way. The problem is how do you know when to trust your feelings?
The ideal is to have your feet on the ground but your head in the clouds; to maintain a strong element of rationality and to observe your feelings and 'hunches' in an objective way without intellectually analysing the feelings. For example suppose you're talking to someone, say a friend's boyfriend, and you get the feeling that they're not to be trusted. You're not in a position to act on that impulse and it may be inadvisable to warn your friend without corroborating evidence. However you can file this feeling away. What you have to be aware of is the moment of the feeling, like a first impression. If it turns out to be correct then you can recollect that feeling and recognise it when it returns. If it turns out to be false then, if you get a similar feeling again, you can recognise that too.
This recognition of an inner feeling is a fundamental part of real learning. It relates to an awareness of conscience, this is the thread that joins us to God and by understanding these inner feelings you are getting closer to God. This awareness is emotional as well as intuitive and rational. It is what drives real religious understanding that moves men to tears. When it is fully understood there is no doubt. The story in the Old Testament and the Koran of the trial of Abraham, when God told him to sacrifice his son, is this doubt being tested.
If you can hone this feeling you can develop a relationship with God, something very few people achieve.
