More recently, I connected with my fellow writer, Emma Seppälä, whose new book “SOVEREIGN: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos” is gaining a lot of attention. Here’s what Emma says about Wisdom vs. Intuition:
“Wisdom often comes to us from others – elders, sacred texts, poetry, sages. As such, it is preserved and passed down through generations, cultures and traditions – creating a scaffolding for our life and guidance for living a meaningful, fulfilling and poignant life.
Intuition is also wisdom, but it comes from within. Many spiritual traditions have advocated harking to our inner world. From the Old Testament’s “Be still and know that I am” to Christ’s “The kingdom of heaven is within” to the Hindu teachings that the divine lies within the self and the Buddha’s teachings of meditation and contemplation. While there is much to learn from our outer world, there is just as much – or perhaps more – to gain from the inner one.
As I found in researching my book, intuition is an elegant, fine-tuned, and incredibly rapid form of perception. Intuition is a form of cognition meant to guide us and alert us to things we might not otherwise be able to see. You can think of it as an instinct or gut feeling. A knowing or inner wisdom. The internal compass that guides you. Our instincts are meant to keep us away from danger and near safety in a complex world—and even save your life as it did for my friend Kushal who was told to stay in the building when he got to work in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11. His gut told him to run, and he saved his life by a hair.
Joseph Mikels, professor of psychology at DePaul University, has researched intuition as an emotional process that can lead to better decision-making, especially when matters are complex. His research shows that when you’re making a complex decision with lots of information to weigh, you’re more likely to choose the right path if you consult your intuition—your feelings—rather than debating the matter solely with reason. He found this to be especially true for older adults whose cognitive faculties might not always be as sharp as younger people’s, showing that intuition is even more critical with age.
There were so many accounts of soldiers returning from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars reporting how gut feelings helped them save lives that the military continues to research the phenomenon to this day. The Department of Defense has opened up several new research projects under different names, like the Navy’s “sensemaking,” to look at this phenomenon.
Albert Einstein credits his insights to intuition. “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
-Chip