Trust Your Instincts
It can be difficult, can’t it? How do you know if your instincts can be trusted? This is a pertinent question, particularly if you experience mental health issues like anxiety and depression. How do you know your view isn’t being coloured by those issues, whether it’s a full blown flare up, long term on-going or just nibbling at the edges of your mind. How do we know we can trust our instincts?
I am wary of people who talk a lot and in general terms. A few of the podcasts I listen to, have hosts that do this. One does it in a way where they are concise and explain things as they go along, so it becomes easy to understand what they are discussing. Another there is a massive amount of waffle and takes an age to get to the point that can be be in two minutes rather than twenty, this is reflected in a lot of their material and you can feel lost. I also don’t agree with some of the output the podcast, their has been a conspiracy theory bent some of it, particularly associated material. It made me angry.
To give a relatable example, I like The Smiths. I will not get rid of the music I own by The Smiths. However, Morrissey has massive flaws as we’ve seen recently, with his “Britain for the British” and related pish that he comes out with. I justify this to myself that it’s ok to like The Smiths, because
a) it’s not just Morrissey, there are three other people involved in The Smiths.
b) It’s was way before Morrissey turned out to be an awful person, perhaps due to some kind of bang on the head.
For some it’s hard to wrestle with the concept that “someone being unpleasant, doesn’t invalidate the work that has already been done.” The problem is changes our perception of the work. In the case of the podcast, have I missed something? What else might be conspiracy related pish? There will continue to be some good material contributed from guests, but I feel less interested in listening because I’m not sure if the small amount of wheat is worth sifting through the bales of chaff for.
For a while, I’ve felt my gut telling me, that this is how it is, the host is the kind of person you’d avoid talking to at work or at a party due to being a talkative but frightful bore. My rational mind on the other hand is experiencing a slight fear of missing out and wants to ask other people who listen if they get the same thoughts about it, to ensure I’m making the right decision. What I need to build trust in my own gut feelings and go with them from time to time. It’s ok for the rational mind to ask questions.
If there is a funny smell in the fridge and it’s something that is just out of date, it’s probably best to throw it out.
