Mind was apotheosized, and Heart--with all its troublesome immaterial loose ends--was devalued as we plunged headlong into the age of scientific enlightenment. Together with the Industrial Revolution, it was a time that provided new metaphors of the universe as Newton's "clockwork machine" and of the human being as "cog" in the almighty machine. --Gail Godwin, Heart.
If a person...doesn't listen to the demands of his own heart, he's going to risk a schizophrenic crackup. Such a person has put himself off center. He has aligned himself with a program for life, and it's not the one the body's interested in at all. The world is full of people who have stopped listening to themselves or have listened only to their neighbors to learn what they ought to do, how they ought to behave, and what the values are that they should be striving for. ...So we are separated from our source. In a sense, because of our minds, we actually are separated, and the problem is to reunite that broken cord. --Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
Many times I have heard or read words to the effect that head work is superior to heart work, that logic is superior to intuition. It's not my intent to argue that one is better than the other. It is the myth of Icarus that tells us it's best to fly the middle way, or be lost. But sometimes I do feel a need to defend the heart. I shouldn't have to--look at what an organ it is! Far from the sugary, sentimentalized image we see all the time, this is an amazing part of the human machine. Heart work, whether the physical task of pumping blood or the intuitive task of looking after our inner wellness, is HARD work. The work we associate with the heart: forgiveness, kindness, generosity...these are not easy. Heart work is hard work. We shouldn't let the work of the heart be denegrated, put on a lower level of importance than head work. I mean, come on, the heart could beat up the brain with one aorta tied behind its back! In physical comparison, the brain is a listless couch potato compared to this buff, efficient engine. But we know it isn't physical strength that matters, in the final analysis--so we will acknowledge that head work is at least as hard as heart work. It's only right.
Addendum: The utterances of the heart--unlike those of the discriminating intellect--always relate to the whole. The heartstrings sing like an Aeolian harp only to the gentle breath of a premonitory mood, which does not drown the song but listens. What the heart hears are the great things that span our whole lives, the experiences which we do nothing to arrange but which we ourselves suffer. --C. G. Jung, The Symbolic Life
6 comments:
you have a delightful journal....... thanks for your visit to mine, we will have to talk. judi
Ah, the old 'head vs heart' debate. To me its the same as apples and oranges. But together, when you combine the strengths of both, you have the true spirit and power of human nature.
Would that so many others adopted your attitude, wise person. I have added a quote from Jung to further explain the difference between that apple and that orange, and why heart work should be given its due respect. Gracias for the comment. TW
In my opinion, without the heart work there can be no head work. They must have each other or death occurs.
Celeste
Celeste--this statement is beautiful in its simplicity. What kind of death do you mean--exactly--and how can this death be avoided? I would love to see your views. Thank you for sharing. --TW
Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my journal. I have posted you as one of my favoites and look forward to also reading about your life. thanks again.
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