What Do You Think?

‎"Ask a person what they THINK about something and they will inevitably reply, 'I feel that...'" -Dr. Paul Printice

I remember once telling my mom that I felt like a milkshake--or something like that. I don't remember what exactly ("I have good memory, it's just short," as the Doc would say). She gave me this weird look and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way." We all laughed about it; we all assumed that what I craved was directly related to my emotions. Therein lies a problem.

In today's world, so much weight is put into our feelings, as though they're to be trusted and will eventually lead us to the right path. Since when is that true? Evolutionists can talk all their talk about instincts and natural leanings toward survival of the species, but since when would anyone (in his natural "bestial" state) rather take a bullet for someone than save their own skin? It just doesn't hold up. If we were to follow our feelings, wouldn't everyone be obese, heartbroken, uneducated, and flat broke?

As I've progressed in Inside American Education (Thomas Sowell), I've learned that many school systems are turning away from the intellectual and looking instead to the sentimental. The institution of such courses as sex, death, and health education are really unrelated to academic knowledge--which begs the question: How involved are we willing to allow the education systems to delve into non-academic aspects of our lives? At any rate, these new breezy classes show kids the side of life most often affiliated with emotions in a way that forces them to discuss their "feelings" on particular subjects with the class. This radical feeliness is seeping into other courses, as well--even into grading methods. I'd expound if I had the time and energy and if you had the attention span, but suffice to say that teachers are limited in what they can teach on account of keeping kids from "feeling bad" about low grades. Dun dun DUNNNNN.

Feelings are fickle. They are not by any means something we should base decisions on. Granted, feelings are a gift from God and allow us to better experience the world around us, but they are not designed to take the place of reason. How often do we open our mouths just to tell people what we feel about a situation rather than what we've learned by going through it?

People who merely feel prove nothing more than that they have mastered a basic human function. People who think and discern are the ones who make a difference in society. What you feel about an issue is inconsequential; it's what you do that people will notice.