March 31. Air 🜁: The Mind
Intelligence can block emotional bonds.
In my family, the mind was our higher power. The more knowledge and logic one applied, the more one could manage difficulties, control outcomes, and enact solutions. This was effective for the most part. However, there were times when bypassing another’s emotions by remaining cerebral was calloused and neglectful of a person’s need to experience feelings. People often felt that I was incapable of empathy, and therefore, I could not honor their emotional process.
Related Expertise
“Thinkers offer a more grounded, logical view of the world, while Feelers open the door to unbridled emotional potential and possibility. Unfortunately, the very things that make this pairing so powerful can also lead to communication mishaps. These mistakes can be productive at best and apocalyptic in the extreme” (Brown, 2020).
Inspired Action
There is a time to think it through and a time to stop and feel it first. Neither approach is superior, so we must honor both. For true intimacy in a deepened relationship, we must allow others to be vulnerable, let them feel their feelings, and to slowly come to their more reasonable side in conflicts. Be patient. Don’t bypass the emotions of others just because you are more comfortable with your logical side.
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