Today, at least in the United States, there is a prevailing perception that decisions are weighed out by consulting the head and the heart. The thinking and the feeling.
But many confuse feelings for appetites. Appetites make my heart beat fast, my breathing shallow. Appetites make me perspire. What they are really saying is that decisions are weighed out by consulting the head and the gut. The gut, rather than the heart, is where appetites reside.
If you consider decisionmaking to be a conversation between the head and the gut, the heart is actually left out of the conversation (the decisionmaking process) alltogether.
Affections, a type of love, reside in the heart. Affections are distinct from cravings, lusts, and hunger — all of which are appetites.
Personal decisions are made by consulting at least the head (I think …), the gut (I feel …), and the heart (I love …).
C.S. Lewis observed the heart is where affections and sentiments reside. I think one thing. I feel another. I do what I have an affection for, what I love.
How then do I prioritize what I have an affection for, what I love?
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