Head and Heart

Follow you heart, the cliché says. How ridiculous, right? After all, in an emotional state, we don’t think clearly and we make poor judgments. We gamble and lose, we make missteps, we reveal our secrets. The emotional card player shows their hand without showing their hand. The emotional athlete misses their mark. The emotional lover loses their allure.

Clearly, following the head, free of emotion, is the way to go. In this collected state, we can rationally determine what’s best for us. Logic and reason guide us to utility. We can play the odds, be in control and know our surroundings. Free of adrenaline and cortisol, the mind is clear and the hand is steady. The stoic worker is chosen for advancement. The cool guy is desired by the ladies. Emotion is a moment of weakness and a tantrum of the inexperienced. By following the head, we save face and succeed.

And yet, all of the times I’ve had the courage (or perhaps weakness) to follow my heart and the courage to take risks, I’ve been rewarded. Oh, the results have not always been pleasurable. I’ve been met with a punch to the face in Rome and a taken wallet in Chicago. I’ve been mortified and horrified and panicked. And I’ve followed my heart straight to its shattering. But, only through risk, have I experienced the most intense joy and seen the most amazing beauty. And the failures? They have been the most valuable lessons and the greatest of stories.

Without the risk takers and the foolish, we would have none of the beauty that surrounds us every day. The artists would examine their income potentials and vanish. The athletes and actors would look at their odds and choose to go into accounting. The musicians and singers would stay in their rooms.

Without the quixotic courage to feel emotion and act rashly, we would have none the things that we live life for. Following one’s head is best to survive life, but following one’s heart is the only way to enjoy it.

No, the cliché was right all along. How soon we forget.