The Mind Rules the Heart
Posted on September 29, 2020 by Yosef Yitzchak Sher, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Physically, the head sits above the heart. Let's let this be our emotional reality too.
Democracy. Liberalism. A civilised society where just about any belief and any action goes. “I can do whatever I want; I can feel whatever I want.” What’s the problem? (Besides for the probability of acting like an unrefined animal), doing and feeling whatever we want and having no boundaries is not freedom. It is in actuality enslavement; being slaves and victims to our emotions, to our unrefined selves.
One of the key teachings of the Torah, which was amplified by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, is that the mind rules over the heart (i.e. the emotions), similar to the mantra ‘mind over matter’ (which has validity among many life scientists).
What does it mean that the mind rules the heart?
Intellect indirectly affects our emotions
Our personal schemata of the world – all our preconceived notions and understandings, morals and values – all have an indirect affect on our emotions. Most of the time this effect is unconscious to us, unless we become self-aware.
Take for example a businessman and a doctor. The businessman can truly appreciate the effect a small change in the interest rate can cause, while the doctor (in our example) is not so appreciative of this phenomenon. When both of these intellectually matured individuals hear news that the interest rate went up 2%, the businessman’s emotions will be very heightened in comparison to the doctor who may be unaffected by the news.
Intellect directly affects our emotions
In general, our emotions are specifically affected by our faculty of contemplation and repetition. When we repeatedly contemplate an idea it somewhat forms a new path from the mind to the heart. This new path has caused a shift in the emotions either by changing an old emotion or creating a new emotion that previously never existed.
In summary
Unless we actively bring our mind into the equation, our emotions have the freedom to roam as they seem fit. Not only is this not ideal, it is the cause for so much pain and grief in our lives. Being in charge of our emotions means that we are not enslaved or limited by them.
Let’s make live the “mind over matter” reality; let’s have our brains at the forefront, not our hearts. Book a session and start your journey to the new you. The you who is in control of your emotions instead of being victim to them.
