The emotional me

Photo by Beatriz Botero

I was reminded recently while reading an article on baseball that we humans are rarely moved by intellectual arguments. That was also brought home forcefully for me in reading the book, “Predictably Irrational, The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions,” by Dan Ariely.

The author, a professor at Duke University, has spent decades studying what motivates people, mostly in buying stuff: why we buy what we don’t need; why we turn up our noses at cheap wine but are captivated by the expensive stuff, even though a lot of research has shown most of us can’t tell the difference; why people who have been asked to name the Ten Commandments are more honest afterward than those who haven’t been asked that question.

We like to think that we’re motivated by reason. Fact is, many – if not most – of our decisions result from feelings. We’re “feeling” beings. We feel anger, love, antipathy and compassion every hour of every day and act on them. That’s why I have to acknowledge that this blog, focused mostly on a rational discussion of faith and religion, can have only a limited impact.

Emotional creatures

Many would say that faith is all about emotion, and I acknowledge that, like others, people of faith rely on emotion at least as much as rational argument. We are moved by human stories, tragic, comic or dramatic, and by music and art. Look at the resources invested in building the great European cathedrals and the impressive temples of the East and Mideast. Observe their inspiring paintings and statues, and listen to the many great musical masterpieces with religious themes.

It’s important for us “searchers,” people who are looking for answers about God, faith and religion, to be open to emotional experiences that may help in our search. Isn’t it possible that God is trying to reach us by such means?

Most of our everyday experiences, including emotional ones, are indifferent to our search for God, but much of what we read or see on TV, at the movies or on videos are absolutely inimical toward it. There appears to be a taboo against talking about, referring to, or participating in anything that smacks of faith. For people under 40, especially, there’s nothing less cool than religion.   

There’s also an idea that faith and religion are childish, something you outgrow. I sometimes read crime or espionage novels and the heroes are often men who, along with drinking the right whiskey and driving the right cars, refer to having grown out of the faith of their youth. Are the basic questions about the meaning of life childish?

Openness

Here’s the thing. If we seek God but are continually exposed to emotional experiences that are indifferent or hostile to faith, should we be surprised if we don’t make progress in our search? Are we who are sincerely seeking God being fair to ourselves if we don’t look for emotional experiences that help? Shouldn’t we be open to books, movies, TV shows, music, videos, relationships and whatever provides a balance to the indifference and negativity about faith that we encounter? 

Many religious materials and media may turn us off, at least they do me. But there’s stuff out there – videos, secular music, movies, performers, books, magazine articles and web sites – that provides thoughtful insights into faith and religion. You don’t have to go to a church, or even a library, to find them. Search the Internet. The idea is to be open and discriminative at the same time, distinguishing between throwaways and what is useful and helpful.

Searchers for God need to do it as a matter of course because as much as we may like to deny it, we make decisions based as much or more on emotion as on reason.

Please pass this blog on to family and friends. Thanks.

TC