Conflict Between Reason and Emotions

 Rational thinking and emotions are two opposites – yin and yang. Oftentimes sound reason leads man to one conclusion whereas his emotions lead him towards a vastly different path, usually the unwise and rash one.

Most people let their emotions dictate their life and fail to use wisely the one faculty that renders man above other animals: his reason. It is not that they do not see the correct course of action. It has more to do with willpower instead of sheer ignorance. Somewhere in the back of mind, reason whispers to one’s soul the truth; but ego, arrogance, and the inability to accept one’s errors leads men to desist the path to enlightenment.

Put bluntly, they lie to themselves. These imbeciles shower in their hubris. When someone tries to explain to them the correct course of action regarding some matter, they only accept input if it goes hand in hand with their own emotional framework. If these ideas clash with their ‘intuitive way of thinking,' they will call the persuader a dolt, a snob, an imbecile who thinks of himself too highly, and someone who – ironically – does not broaden his perspective to try to understand others’ viewpoints.

In this way, they not only devolve themselves further to the rank of unthinking animals, but they also discourage others from progressing by lowering their confidence in their well-founded ideas; they do all this only to keep their egos intact, a dastardly act deserving severe condemnation if not outright punishment. 

In addition to the reprehensible nature of this action, it is also harmful to society as a whole because, in this way, they are not only remaining ignorant themselves but are also inducing others to stoop to their despicable level. In a sort of herd mentality, these egotistical dunces end up recruiting genuine ignoramuses – who are not arrogant but merely stupid – into their collective band of stupidity. Thus, on top of acting like buffoons themselves, they coerce others to follow their path to doom as well! 

Sadly, there cannot be done much about this phenomenon, reason being the fact that by making people open-minded you break their spirits of action; instead of devoting themselves for one cause, they end up chop and changing at every ounce of new useless information.

However, there is always a silver lining. If the citizens of a state are given education in a particular direction from an early age and convinced that the cause is righteous and just, this same phenomenon which I have described above as despicable becomes a divine blessing that can change the destiny of nations in moments. A united nation standing for a common goal, imbued with a feeling of struggle for a moral cause for the betterment of society, is bound to rise up and conquer any foe in its path. 

Naturally, the goals that should be presented in front of citizens should be free from any flaws and doubts. There should be exceptional ideals that are flawlessly complete in themselves. The more well-fortified the ideal, the better its application. Obviously, people’s temperaments are shaped by conditions that surround them while in their early years; however, by analyzing and finding the particular inclinations that citizens of a particular state possess, a radical change can be brought about.

In most countries present today, religion and nationalism are two ideals that have sufficient potency to drive people to action – albeit religious action is harder to bring about and control, but it results in a much stronger impact than nationalism – that is, some genius finds a way to harness its power and channel it among the masses.