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By Ayella
Modern society teaches us to prize intellect above everything else. We are encouraged to think critically, analyse thoroughly, and rationalise every choice we make. But there is a hidden cost to this obsession with reason: the quiet death of feeling.
Intellect, for all its usefulness, has a way of flattening the emotional landscapes that make life rich. When we insist on placing logic above all else, we risk becoming less sensitive — not just to our own emotions, but to the humanity of others. After all, nothing about the most meaningful aspects of life is logical.
Take love. Falling in love rarely follows a sensible pattern, yet people do it every day — often against their better judgment. Parenthood, too, defies logic: we bring children into a world filled with struggle and mortality, while knowing that all things we cherish are ultimately transient. And still, we choose love. We choose hope. We choose joy. Why? Because reason alone does not sustain the soul. If anything, overthinking is one of the fastest ways to drain pleasure from life. The activities we pursue for fun — dancing, storytelling, celebration, sport — have no rational purpose, yet they are the cultural heartbeat of human existence.
Civilisation itself is nothing more than an elaborate construct — a carefully crafted attempt to impose order on a universe that remains defiantly chaotic. It provides structure, but also breeds anxiety. Perhaps the most anxious person alive is the one who is most civilised: the person who knows too much, sees too clearly, and feels too little.
Knowledge exposes us to the brutal truths of existence — the finiteness of life, the fragility of happiness, the randomness of suffering. Once awareness expands, it rarely contracts. There is no unknowing. And for many, this realisation becomes a trap — one paved with routine, obligation, and the quiet misery of over-intellectualised living.
So we cling to comfort, and feelings remain our sanctuary. The embrace of a loved one, the laughter of a child, the shared warmth of connection — these provide psychological nourishment that rational thought cannot replicate. They make life not just bearable, but worthwhile.
Perhaps the real question, then, is this:
Would you rather be brilliant and miserable, or a little foolish — and filled with joy?
In the end, the heart is not inferior to the mind. It is different — and essential. Reason may keep us alive, but feelings are what make life worth living.
Torch Media Africa
