Once upon a time, I adhered to logic like meat on bone.  I would reason with logic learned in basic western philosophy courses.  I’d take the if-then approach to my next move just as I’d been trained in school (grade school, then junior high, then so on and so forth) and would take great comfort in things that had an explanation; things that I understood.

But I found that this wasn’t always a one-size-fits-all approach.  Often, I would observe things that made little sense.  I’d question why a friend’s actions would run counter to her motives, why circumstances would sometimes seem unfair and why my thoughts and actions didn’t always match.  I’d even watch movies and get hung up on the holes in their storytelling.  If a scene seemed off, I’d assume there was an explanation for it and if I didn’t find it, I’d question my ability to comprehend the clues or wonder if certain facts were being withheld.

This kind of thinking simmered in a sort of crockpot.  It marinated in a broth of experience seasoned with fresh perspective and flavored with a touch of imagination.  Overtime, the meat on bone began to loosen.

So, I’m not really talking about cooking my brain here.  I’m referring to how my mind began to open. I took eastern philosophy classes.  I studied world religions.  I practiced yoga and meditation.  I threw myself in fields my logical mind wouldn’t consider and did short stints in advertising, banking, entrepreneurship and waitressing (is that a pc term, I truly don’t know).  I drifted.  I experimented.  I had adventures.  And all the while, I was seeking.  What it was I sought, I’m not exactly sure.

But I’m glad I did.  It helped me believe in something other than logic.  It taught me to appreciate and even rely on feeling and intuition, like a sort of pre-decision making gut check when all the facts don’t seem to be enough.  It showed me a way to engage in something that is undefined, unmapped or unknown.

So it seems that where logic ends is a juncture at which a mind, among other things, can begin to open.

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Is it possible to notice when the mind opens or closes?
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Image by KellyK