Can You Trust Your Heart?
Listen: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” performed by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
This question came up in a discussion with some friends who are in recovery. It was not a particularly religious group of people, but definitely people who are spiritual. I was surprised to hear that many people in the group had a negative assessment of whether or not they could trust their heart for guidance. Many of them had made some horribly destructive decisions under the influence of drugs or alcohol or both. I was surprised because many of my friends who are not particularly religious, who are not in recovery have a very optimistic assessment of their own intuition and instincts. On the other hand, many of my friends with a strong religious background (particularly Christian background) have grown up with a negative view of the human heart and whether or not you can trust it for guidance.
Studies of the human brain reveal that we are creatures of habit and adaptability. (See Incognito and Livewired by David Eagleman.) In biological terms, our heart pumps blood; our brains do the thinking. Our brain is an amazing biological mechanism. It comes pre-programed with certain algorithms for learning, evaluating new data, and storing memories (especially emotional memories and data needed for navigating life). Neuroscience of the brain is a fascinating field of study as it relates to human behavior. Suffice it to say, our survival on the planet is based on our brain’s ability to intuit its way through life. None of us could survive without some level of trust in our own instincts and our ability to make decisions.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote a fascinating book about intuitive feelings and snap judgments, which are often more accurate and insightful than months of analyzing data, called Blink. In the book, Gladwell points out how the human brain is capable of making complex, rational decisions about the world (using big data), while at the same time doing something which he calls “thin-slicing.” “Thin-slicing” is using small amounts of data combined with intuition and experience to make big decisions or conclusions about life. Gladwell shows how these decisions and conclusions can be amazingly accurate. He does balance his argument by pointing out how snap judgments can be wrong and harmful. So there’s a paradox in this brain of ours (or the human heart in colloquial terms).
Some questions don’t lead to easy, clear-cut answers. The answer is found in paradoxical tension or what some call non-dualistic thinking. Most faith traditions embrace paradox, but some interpreters of certain faith traditions like to eliminate paradox. For example, I have met many people in my faith tradition (Christianity) who have clear-cut answers for everything. I’ve heard people say things like “the Bible says it and I believe it” without much realization that the Bible says many things that are paradoxical.
Take for example the human heart as a source of guidance. I am speaking of the human heart as the center of emotion, intuition, and intention—the inner-self (how ancient Hebrew and Greeks thought about the heart as well as colloquial English). The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah spoke about the human heart in some interesting and paradoxical ways. He delivered his message during the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people (605 BC), one of the darkest periods of ancient Israel’s history. Jeremiah believed that Israel was in this dark situation because they had forsaken their true identity and fallen into idolatry and injustice. Jeremiah says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9; NLT). This negative assessment of the human heart is similar to the perspective I have heard from people in recovery. They have had to come to grips with their own insanity and “believe that a Power greater than themselves could restore them to sanity.” They have gotten brutally honest about their own insanity while under the influence of substances. What’s interesting to me is that you don’t need to be an drug addict or alcoholic to make some really bad decisions in life. Behavioral addictions can be just as destructive.
Later on in Jeremiah’s message to ancient Israel in Exile, he became much more optimistic in his assessment of the human heart. If people would turn away from idolatry and injustice, they could find new hope and a new heart. Jeremiah says, “‘But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people…. For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:33-34; NLT).
So the human heart is amazingly complex and reliable, but, at times, it can be misleading in its narrative. (Neuroscience of the brain confirms this paradoxical assessment. The human brain is always telling itself stories about events.) I love Proverbs 4:23, “Guard your heart above all else, for from it flow the springs of life.” This Proverb affirms in a positive way the guidance which flows from the human heart, while at the same time giving the caution to guard our hearts.
How do we guard our heart? One way is to have some true friends, counselors, and therapists who can listen to our thoughts and ideas and intuitions. This gives us some important feed back as we navigate life. Another way is to practice meditation, journaling, and spiritual reading. These practices can help sharpen our intuitive skills over the course of our lifetime. Finally, we can seek a sense of connection to God or a higher power. This connection moves us beyond our own limited view of the world, ourselves, and others and provides vital interdependence for guidance.
I will close with a beautiful Psalm from the Hebrew tradition. With appropriate connection and interdependence, our heart is a beautiful guide to wholeness. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4; ESV). The human heart effervesces with creativity and goodness and dreams if planted in the proper soil to nourish it.
Shalom
©realfredherron, 2021
