Sunday, June 23, 2013

Emotions vs Decisions

Say you've dated someone for a couple of months. And then you're told that said person has a terminal illness. So now you've got a decision to make - thank you for the good times, but I don't think I could go through this, the pain would blow me to smithereens OR let's take it on together, I'll be by your side forever, this'll be story I'll be proud of, like Romeo and Juliet.

"Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad?"

That's probably one of the most common sentiment reflected in lyrics of love songs. That struggle between the imaginary right and wrong, the physical and the emotional, the logical and the impulsive. At the end of the day, the smart thing to do would be to take the emotions out of the decision-making, stash it somewhere far, far away and think... like in terms of SWOTs or risk & reward. Stupid as it might sound, isn't it easier to think in black and white and erase the struggle in the middle? Why make it difficult for yourself?

You need an answer, you need it now. You need to take action, you need to move on with your life and not cling on to the drama and the struggle.

It makes for good TV but it sucks when you've to go through it.

So what I'd say is to, very simply, think it through and decide. In this case, if you know that the person's someone you'll never come across again, stick by him. If it's great love you know you'll never get to experience, if it's once in a lifetime, yes, by all means, bite the bullet, go through with it.

If you think you can't do it, say no, back out. Life's hard as it is. Don't make it harder for yourself.

At the end of it all though, intuition is not based on the logical. It's based on experience. It's also based on feeling - that sixth sense. You can be the best thinker but sometimes it all comes down to luck, and you wish you made decisions based on your gut. Even if it turns out wrong, it's hard to deny what at that moment, felt so right.

I know it's hard for you, but whatever the choice you make, it's the right one. That's all you need to know.

Good luck.