Ohhhh...there it goes again. That swirling, twirling, churning brief sensation that exists in the pit of your stomach when you feel something is just not quite right.
Most of us are so in tune with this feeling that if practiced we become accustomed to ignoring it. Theories about intuition have been linked to psychic ability and have now been branded with a new-age controversy. Some believe intuition acts as an involuntary sixth sense, while others might disguise a gut feeling as a hunger pang or stomach ache for fear they are entertaining a ridiculous notion. These people are refusing to see the deeper meaning that this sensation is usually pointing to. By definition,'a gut feeling arises when your brain makes an instant connection between what's happening in the present and a similar circumstance from your past.' I believe this to be a subconscious act and we therefore cannot be sure what these past memories are exactly, we just respond intuitively to a feeling that displays a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty.
The real problem comes when we experience this feeling but purposefully decide to disregard it, believing that we know better. Big mistake. More often than not, hindsight comes into play and we realise just how insightful our digestive system is. However, even the endurance of realisation is not enough to prevent us from repeating the same mistake again and again. We are so full of self-doubt that we cannot possibly believe that our body might be trying to tell us something. In fact sometimes it can be the opposite, we do understand what the sensation is telling us but feel guilty for the decision it could lead us to, and so feel it is better to go for the easier option and deal with the consequences afterwards. Again usually a big mistake. As with most things in life, the proof is in the pudding. Therefore only when we have refused our gut's perceptive tendencies and received some either ironic or plain annoying retrospection, do we feel truly sorry for doubting it's true ability.
I like to think of intuition in the same grey area as coincidence. They are both concepts human beings cannot understand completely and so we are then afraid of them. When a repeated coincidence occurs we search for a meaning, a reason why something that previously has not entered our minds, is now suddenly appearing everywhere. For example, I managed to live twenty years of my life not knowing about the existence of the 1980s Olivia Newton John musical classic that is Xanadu. However, this year I learnt a medley from the show for a showcase and now cannot escape the dulcet tones of the main number. It has been on three different radio stations, featured in TV programmes and adverts! Do not fear I am not now convinced that the themes in Xanadu are now a metaphor for my life or anything,(even though I do remember being a muse in a past life!..hmmm)
I guess in life we have become comfortable with over-analysing, dissecting and calculating every possible outcome, reason, motive, idea that may be the cause of an involuntary response such as a gut instinct. The more spiritually minded individuals might delve deep into the meanings of certain coincidences, or seemingly fate fuelled occurrences. One quote about intuition describes it as 'going your way without inquiring about the way'. I think this demonstrates how cynical we have become in that however real the feeling is, we cannot trust it to be true.
I have recently asked myself many times why I have not gone with my gut...this is usually because I have gone with my heart instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment