Rantman

8

"No, I don't feel like it."

"Come on, what's the worse that could happen?"

Haven't these two lines always been a prelude to disaster?

I find it strange that instinct and intuition are often considered as something mystical and random. And its amusing how even instinct is gendered by some, referred to as "woman's instinct" and "man's reason". I'm pretty sure that's an age-old stereotype that's already been debunked by any reasonable mind.

How did the early human survive in the wild, without having developed any tools to help itself, without having any super speed, strength, camouflage or any other special abilities like other animals altogether? All we had was our big brain, yes, but what of the time period when it wasn't developed enough to devise any method to conquer the wild? What preserved the slightly disadvantaged monkey species at its most vulnerable time?

I feel that intuition may have played a role. For according to me, intuition is nothing but a sort of rapid data-processing initiated by our subconsciousness. Our 5 senses send huge amounts of data to our brain at a continuous rate, that are simply meaningless to our conscious, learning-oriented mind. The sounds, the smell, the vision, the current and taste of the air itself, what can you make of it? Not much, but perhaps our subconscious can. Intuition may have helped the early human avoid predators, know which animals were friendly, neutral and dangerous, and help sense eminent danger despite not sharing a language with animals. It could also have helped distinguish between friend and foe of our own species, for a hungry, starved human would probably behave savagely, thus approaching them would be detrimental, whereas a friendly one could help in supplies and even choose to band together, which would be in the best interests of both humans.

What is the difference between instinct and intuition? I don't understand it well, but I feel intuition is the feel you have about the person or event, while instinct is when you act upon it. Like intuition will give you a heads-up about that dark alley, while instinct would be sticking to or away from lights and walking fast, something that can happen unconsciously. Both overlap significantly though.

I feel that the modern world doesn't place any weight on our instinct/intuition, which is perhaps the reason some of us make worse decisions than we were ideally supposed to. Most of us are trained to dismiss our feelings and intuitions, which makes it a more valuable skill than ever. Gamblers, businessmen and even scientists may rely on intuition to benefit their work. These people don't abandon logic, but they don't discount the value of instinct either. Haven't so many scientific discoveries been credited to serendipity? Don't we all face a certain kind of situation once in a while, when what we know is just not enough to base our decision, and we have to take the leap of faith randomly, based on our 'gut' feeling? Wouldn't we all benefit from a valuable, accurate instinct/intuition at such moments?

Like all skills, intuition needs to be trained. Some people may have a completely wrong first intuition, and hence must learn to act opposite to it. Others may find it difficult to distinguish between their intuition and their actual feelings, which leads to great confusion. You might feel not to go out to meet your friends today, but is it due to laziness, or due to something else? One has to know oneself well in order to be able to distinguish between that.

There's also the intuition about future events. While most of it is badly contrived, it may possible to know some things about the very near future, if you have enough data to base it on. For example, if you know a few people well enough, you might be able to predict their conversation flow, direction and reactions to certain topics. That is sort of a prediction of a future event. You might be able to predict who'll gel with who, or whether you will end up friends or foes with a certain person. You may feel you have foresight of the outcome of some events, such as an interview or a meetup, possibly because your intuition has collected enough data about said persons and event, and determined how you fit into it. Keep in mind intuition is not 100% accurate, I would rate its accuracy anywhere around 65-85 percent. Also, it might be difficult to distinguish between actual 'gut' feeling and a pessimistic or optimistic outlook towards certain situations.

I wasn't a strong believer in intuition before, but personal experiences have altered my view. I don't say we should judge people by their face, but first appearances really do give some insight. I'm not telling you to judge someone based on their clothes, skin, prettiness, body etc. That is an act of consciousness. I'm telling you to let your unbiased natural instinct make a judgement instead, and trust it blindly. Because our subconsciousness knows more about you, and about human nature, than any scientist or philosopher would probably ever know. It doesn't judge someone on whether their face looks good or not, though its rather apparent to the consciousness. The subconscious sees not exactly their looks, but their overall mannerisms, their warmth/coldness, their vibes. Yes, a smooth actor might easily camouflage it under sweet talk and manners, but the emanation of their initial vibe can't be eliminated, though it can be dislodged by their behavior instantly. And a stuttering or very closed off introvert might still feel good to talk to, because of their good vibes. One must keep a note in mind of these impressions to be wary or to avoid certain people, or to be neutral to others.

Keep in mind that I have no knowledge of psychology, I'm talking in air and for scientific purposes this article is nothing but trash talk. Have a nice day.