The heart has for long been regarded and valued as the seat of emotions, intuition, virtues, and moral reasoning, while the head has represented logic and reasoning. Both the head and the heart play important roles in decision-making, and the key is to find the right balance between the two.
Logical thinking can help us make well thought-out, rational decisions. It often involves considering facts, evidence, and potential outcomes. However, excessive reliance on logic can lead to a lack of empathy or understanding of emotional aspects. In some situations, not all variables can be fully analysed through logic alone. There may be circumstances where a course of action that appears to be rational may damage relationships in a team or community and eventually do more harm than good. It is best to integrate rational analysis with an understanding of emotional nuances to reach a decision.
This holds true in nearly every area of life. In an age when being clever and hard-headed is regarded as necessary to survive and succeed in life, a lot of people may forget the value of the heart. Many of the subtle aspects of life that are not visible to the eye can be sensed only by the heart.
It is for this reason that some ancient cultures considered the heart to be the centre of a person’s being, housing the soul or essence of life. Philosophers throughout history have attributed moral and ethical significance to the heart. Religious traditions too impart spiritual importance to the heart. In Christianity, for example, the heart is often associated with faith, love, and devotion to God. In Hinduism, the heart is considered the seat of the self. God is referred to as the comforter of hearts, not the comforter of heads (for a headache, usually a tablet suffices). It is also said that the Lord is pleased with a true heart, meaning those who are free from deceit and falsehood.
When we are guided by the heart and free from selfish motives, our actions are charitable. It is such actions that bring us blessings. Talent and smartness may win us laurels, but it is a kind heart that earns good wishes. That is because something done with the head makes an impression on the minds of other people, but something done with the heart goes to the hearts of others, making a deeper and lasting impact. A kind teacher is fondly remembered by their pupils all their life while a merely clever one may be talked about and praised but their memory is rarely cherished.
Even information – acquired by the head – is said to be known ‘by heart’ when it is fully internalised to the point where we can recall it from memory without having to consult any external sources. It implies a level of commitment and familiarity with it that goes beyond mere recognition or understanding.
The heart, however, is not all about being gentle and emotional. Expressions like ‘having a strong heart’ or the ‘heart of a lion’ have been used historically to symbolize courage, strength, and determination.
All said, we may conclude that keeping a level head and listening to the heart are both necessary to navigate through life successfully so that in the end one has a contented heart.
B.K. Sheilu is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.