Is logic in everything we do? Or do logical things exist, but yet we fail to think logically in our everyday lives? I would argue that is hard to make any real life decision without also considering the logic behind it. Logic practices practicality, it is a driving force in today’s society. It is shown in the act of deciding a major when you go to college, amongst many other things. When choosing a major, you carefully consider your passions and interests, but you are also prompted to think about the job opportunities in that particular field, as well as how much money it will provide for you in the future.
I am often told that I am a dreamer, the creative path and following passion is more important to me than considering how “smart” my choices are in the whole scheme of life. I want to one day travel the world, and pursue a career in singing. I think of how amazing it would be to one day be on Broadway, yet I am forced to consider the real life consequences. Logical thinking keeps me in check. I do not have the funds yet to travel the world, and pursuing a singing career is risky. Logic fights with my inner desires frequently, and I am always trying to find a balance between the two. It is one of the reasons I am a communication major with a track in journalism and media, AND a voice performance major. I recognize that is too risky to just do one or the other.
This brings in the psychology behind it all. In Psychology 100, we learned about the two very different sides of the brain. We even took a quiz to figure out which side of the brain is more dominant for us individually. I learned that I am very heavily right brained- which means I am associated with cognitive skills, such as creativity, emotion and intuitiveness. It also controls the left side of the body, so right-brained people are often left-handed, like me. Left brained people are usually correlated with linear and analytical thought.
Logic itself is an obscure concept- it defines things without explicitly defining . Although, a lot of my conversations with friends and family are illogical, I still recognize logic as a very present force in society today. In English 203 this past Monday, we observed the section entitled “Logic” in Re: f (gesture). Dr. Beth McCoy placed us into small groups to discuss the series of poems, and asked us to relate them to the expression “WTF”. This I found was a frequent phrase that pounced its’ way into my mind while reading this specific section. Through the extensive research of Percival Everett’s work as a writer, I thought I at least became familiar with his unique and particular style of writing. Everett propels his readers to really think, without ever giving a single definite answer, leaving much to the reader’s interpretation. I did not completely understand the message of each poem until I read them multiple times, and yet a lot of the overall meaning is still left open ended.
These undeclared meanings mentioned in Percival Everett’s poems is also shown within my own daily choices. Every one of the decisions I made in the past, present, and future is something I compare to society’s scale of good or bad, better or worse, right or wrong: all on the basis of logic. If I never listened to my conscious, or considered the consequences, then my logic is only trusting spontaneous will. This is something I recognize I have to work on, creating an equal balance between logic and gut, something I actively consider every time I make a decision.