This post follows on from the one on Determinism last week.
I found myself mulling over the idea at the weekend and the oddest thought came to me. Even before I married my ex the only eventual choice would be to divorce him. There were no other options.
This got me thinking about gut instinct, that thing we’re supposed to follow but argue with because it’s too emotional. It also started me thinking about heart truth, the other instinct we ignore because it’s too emotional as well. Whoever decided logic was king needs spiflicating!
The idea I’m currently working with is: if everything is predetermined are our gut instinct and feelings from the heart our early warning system? Do they actually know in advance when something isn’t right for us, as opposed to working that out at the time?
Future plans
I have no answer to that yet, these things need to be lived with, but I do know one thing. In future, if my heart cries out to be listened to, or my gut starts yelling ‘flee’, I will not ignore these things. Even though I’m trying to be sensible, logical, steady, and scientific about it, I cannot rid myself of a certain amount of certainty that they are a knowledgeable early warning system.
Of course this system will partly be based on what we’re seeing and hearing, events that have happened, and a certain amount of logic and mind processing. That’s a given. But even so that reinforces the point. I have often had a bad feeling about doing something, relationships, ‘opportunities’ and so on, but I’ve always thought ‘let’s give it a bash and see what happens’. I’m going to be far more cautious in future.
The other question has to be: if we are born with an early warning system, does that mean that life may be predetermined but we have the ability to make different decisions? Is there only one road of predetermination, or are there many options we can choose and opportunities we can follow?
All roads lead to Rome
For those who believe that we have an inviolate, predetermined life path, I would ask whether there are many routes we can take to the same place? I learned from my guides years ago that learning the hard way isn’t a rule, we can choose to learn our lessons the easy way. So I could have broken away from my family into a bad marriage, then ended that marriage and moved out on my own, thereby gaining more life experience. Or I could have grabbed a back pack at the age of 18 and taken off around the world and learned that way.
I was young and naïve at that age, and would probably have got myself in a terrible mess as I was raised to be good and obey my parents, goodness knows what would have happened if I’d found myself having to make big decisions and work out how to earn enough to feed and clothe myself and provide shelter. On the other hand, I may have stepped up magnificently and quickly gained some excellent life skills. I did keep going through 40 years of acute anxiety, 22 of those undiagnosed, rarely missed a day’s work, and worked in a responsible job where mistakes weren’t an option. So maybe I could have made it as a world traveller.
An interesting discussion
And much to think about. However, as I’m still a bit of a stickler for common-sense, I would suggest that it’s a good idea to treat our natural instincts as that early warning system, a hint that we’re actually built (predetermined?) to avoid problems, and start listening to our inner truth and acting on that.
Might help, can’t be any worse surely?
To your happiness and the best possible route through your life
Deb xx
Deb Hawken 