Wednesday 1 May 2019

Long shot versus backing the favourite: Difficulties of living by intuitive knowing, by primary thinking

The advice to live by intuitive knowing (primary thinking) is difficult - even for short spells. Difficult to remember, in the first place; but also difficult because - at times when it is most important - to follow intuitive knowing will mean contradicting natural instincts and intellectual observation.

We personally need to go-against not just the intellectually expressed social assumptions and expectations that we have imbibed insensibly from culture and consciously from education; but also our 'gut feelings' which will be tending instantaneously to 'react' to the given-situation (e.g. with fear, lust, resentment).

Against these very powerful influences, we ought-to-be listening to the quiet sureness of intuitive knowing; but that is something that only we our-selves can know.

Even when we see our way clear to do what is right, and have courage to do it; how can we justify ourselves to others in face of what seems like logic, probability and impulse?

In the end, we may not be able to. 'Other people' tend Not to respond constructively when one explains 'because I Just Know; even when that is the simple truth of the matter.

I personally tend to state this fact 'I Just Know' somewhere in my explanation - at the beginning or the end; but in explanations I try to set-aside instinct and impulse as being temporary hence unreliable; and make some space for what I instinctively know is right by emphasising the uncertainties of intellect, thinking and prediction - how these almost-never can predict with sufficient certainty and accuracy to be used as a justification for what we do.

So, intellectual observation based on social knowledge may suggest that X is 'the best' course of action (which contradicts intuitive knowing); but this can only ever be based upon probabilities - since there are other factors we don't know about, and long, unpredictable chains of causality between now and then.

And conversely, doing what one intuitively knows is the proper thing May - by whatever improbable, unlikely chain of events - end up 'for the best'.

And that has to be enough. Others may well still say that you are wrong, but from their perspective it is 'merely' the wrongness of making a 'long shot' bet on the future at high odds, instead of (as they would advise) backing the favourite. Perhaps foolish, but not utterly insane.

While in reality, in its true frame; you are not aiming at publicly-defined-success in this mortal life; but at 'success' conceptualised in ultimate, divine terms and beyond the portal of so-called death.

 

1 comment:

Francis Berger said...

This is one of the most pertinent posts you have published over the past week, in my opinion. A month ago I tried explaining to commenter that my motivations lie elsewhere when it comes to notions of success. I even went as far as to admit the commenter would find that assertion crazy and insincere, which he did.

Also, I continue to be amazed at how deeply ingrained social assumptions and intellectual arguments broadcast via the mainstream are in most contemporary people. I mildly challenged a student on climate change yesterday by asking her why she was so certain climate predictions would prove accurate.

Rather than respond, the student went into what I can only describe as a state of psychic shock complete with physical symptoms such as paleness and trembling. This was quickly followed by a look of utter contempt. Unfortunately, I encounter this sort of thing with increasing frequency.