Overdeveloped Heads & Underdeveloped Hearts
The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
But then again we bombard it with too much information & as we increase in IQ and/or knowledge, we tend to have less EQ. We deem others as “less educated” or, in layman’s terms, stupid, when we compare them to ourselves. We get infuriated when they don’t understand or process information the way we do; in a way, we esteem ourselves better when in fact they are our equals. As the verse goes in Romans 1:22, “Professing to be wise, they became fools,” it’s a sad fact that people need to be reminded (I’ve seen numerous paintings on murals, corporate walls, and just plain streets) to be courteous, honest, polite, kind, etc.
Why does that need to be said? Why are there reminders? Is it because we’re all too familiar with standards that we’ve lost heart?
Because we are bloated in the head, we step on those who we esteem lesser than us. I’ve experienced it countless times being berated as the new-guy since I didn’t think nor act like everybody else who was well-enough in experience. Sometimes you need to have enough mistakes to do what’s right in the long run. When we think we’re the best already, we think time works for us. Mind you, “No amount of money ever bought a second of time.” We tend to lose ourselves in the process of attaining enlightenment, but then again we are called to “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
There was a time when the relationship I had with my superior(s) was only limited to receiving instructions with zero per cent mentor-ship. Talk about being the fall guy when things go awry. Being overdeveloped in the brain makes one afraid of failing in way since they’re so adept to the usual norms of smooth operations, we tend to go with what’s lax. But then again, having the heart to take the risk needs courage (maybe intertwine it with a whiff of stupidity, as long as the process of learning is in tact). I never wanted to be the smartest in the room since I want to learn from the handful of individuals that know better than me.
What if we get too emotional? What then? Well, guard your heart. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) When either mind or heart is overpowering the other, it tends to cause an imbalance in decision-making. As it is clearly written (pertaining to the heart-side imbalance), “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
It goes to show that properly weighing things prior to giving a concrete conclusion. Most of us will sacrifice relationships for a career or sacrifice a corporation for own selfish gain. We need to have both a mind-check and a heart-check. Accumulating all that we can grasp grants us nothing in the long run. Want a high position in a company? What happens after retirement? Will your amassed positions satisfy? What about those you’ve left behind?
I, for one, love learning (especially in terms of engineering, science, medicine, etc), but as one German scientist once stated, “Der erste Trunk aus dem Becher der Naturwissenschaft macht atheistisch, aber auf dem Grund des Bechers wartet Gott.” And I truly believe He is.
Please take care of your heart & your mind.