How many react from feelings instead of respond to facts

How many will admit they make decisions based on how they feel about something, instead of what is real. When you react to a situation because of what you feel is true, instead of paying attention to the facts. Only to sabotage their own lives, by passing by opportunities, or having fear of something they don't know about ? Even knowing that their feelings are lying to them, but still make decisions based on them.

I think everyone does it to a certain extent, some just more than others.
Except maybe bureaucrats, they are like robots or something.

Yup - everyone at some point.

Ok question, what if you are presented with a situation where you have all the facts you need and still can't make a decision. What about instinct, that is a feeling and can be useful?

The point I was trying to bring out... is when we persistently think with our feelings, and allow them to control our decision making. And irrational fears that stop us from doing what is necessary to survive.

Now I know that men like to use logic to think things out, and women do us their emotions. That's just the way we are made. ( So I don't mean to offend, I am taking that into consideration), my moms intuition saved my butt a few times.

But it when using introspection of our lives and realizing that people today will determine facts on what they feel is true, not on the evidentiary facts.

Take a resentment : That is Latin for Re-feel or Re-live when we run into a similar situation that in the past we were hurt, that past Feeling returns and influences are decisions today... Even through we aren't seeing things the way they truly are in the present. We are reacting to the past in the present, instead of just being in the present.

I will give you a personal experience I had with a delusion like this : I was a alcoholic but I couldn't stop because I REALLY believed if I didn't drink I was going to die.... But the FACT was if I DIDN'T QUIT drinking I was going to die. And that delusion controlled everything in my life for 30 years.

So let me rephrase the question...

How many will admit that they have let a delusion control their decisions, that have created many of their problems, because they refuse to examine or except the truth and the facts ? But in fact insist on relying on how they feel to guild what they will or won't do, no matter what the consequences.

This kinda stuff is pretty common, especially in depression. For the longest time I had myself convinced I was a failure and worthless. That delusion was caused by a single event, afterwards I basically had tunnel vision, only seeing the things that would reinforce my delusions, making it progressively worse. I only changed through logic - a person I had come to trust completely was always telling me I was far from a failure. Even then it took me a long time to put 2 and 2 together. Living a lie like that makes you lose trust in yourself, and it can be pretty difficult to know what to believe.

I agree with the others, I think everyone is like that sometimes.

I tend to be more logical than emotional, whereas most people I know are strongly driven by emotion. I've been told that this is magnified because I have Asperger's, but I don't really know if that has anything to do with it. I notice the difference especially when anger and hurt feelings are concerned; I react by withdrawing to think things over and then come back to discuss calmly, whereas they will react by immediately bursting out in a rageful rampage, twisting my words into what they imagine they hear rather than what I'm actually saying. It's like they want to be mad, so anything I say is going to make them mad, until they finally cool down. When I can't open my mouth without being misconstrued and attacked, it tends to make me go quiet and shy away, which makes them even more mad. It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, which can be really upsetting for me and always seems to come out of nowhere.

A lot of people think I have an uncanny intuition about things, but I think it's really just that I see patterns and can easily predict where someone's behavior will lead them. It can get frustrating after awhile when someone comes to me for sensible input but then refuses to listen to reason. (Not that I'm callous about speaking my mind; It's good to be honest, but it's also good to be tactful and considerate of feelings.) Sometimes they get angry with me because they don't like what I have to say and would rather believe their own lies. This is exasperating. Why ask for an outsider's view when you don't really want one? They always come back to me saying, "Well you were right, I should have listened to you," but then they still don't listen to me the next time they ask my advice, lol. Sometimes it's like watching a train wreck and not being able to do anything to stop it. I've simply learned to take on a "live and let live" mentality. It doesn't really matter what you say, people will always do what they want. Their decisions, mistakes, consequences and regrets are their own.

I appreciate rational people (rare though they are), but I have found that rational and logical aren't always the same. To me, "rational" connotes an element of wisdom and human decency, whereas "logic" is just mind math -- A thought equation that leads to an answer, whether it's the best one or not. A logical decision might make sense, but that doesn't necessarily make it right. I have on many occasions seen people use logic to rationalize horrendous and cruel behavior.

Logic is not automatically more straightforward than emotion, either. Two people can both have used logic but still come to completely different conclusions about the same thing. There is very little information out there that is truly "fact". Most is theory and perspective.

Most people seem to value one over the other; but in my opinion, logic and emotion are of equal value, each with uses and flaws, both beneficial when properly balanced.

*Solivagant
That is a great response, well put and explained. Especially about rational, and logical.

I definitely believe a balance between all is ideal.

And yes I am guilty of making decisions based on delusions.

I tend to get really opinionated, instead of responding to facts initially.

Yes I admit I do, but I feel there is a place for using feelings as well as facts. Like people above said a balance is ideal.

GraceBlossom said:

Yes I admit I do, but I feel there is a place for using feelings as well as facts. Like people above said a balance is ideal.

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There always need to be a balance in my opinion as if there's no balance, there's going to be a bit of mental instability.

To answer the question that was initially asked, I do react from feelings first, but then I look at the theories. Notice I didn't say facts. Nothing is fact until the theory is first proven.

But what if what you feel is irrevelant ? It doesn't matter if you feel hungry or not, if you don't eat, you die.

You use your feelings to argue for your feelings ??? FEELINGS lie !!

And yes there does have to be balance ... But that's what I am saying.... read through all these threads and posts and see how many decisions are made by feelings.... It's out of balance... And it doesn't matter how you feel about it, does it ?

Obviously people lives are screwed up because they don't FEEL normal, they don't feel like doing anything, they don't feel, feel, feel, feel, feel, feel, or they do feel, feel, feel, feel,

Gee and everything in everybody's life is out of balance.... I wonder why ? Think about it, and stop going about how you feel about it... And just get honest, because it doesn't matter how you feel about the truth. Does it ?

It has been made obvious nobody cares about how others feel, only themselves. And that's the truth, like it or NOT !

Alienated said:

It has been made obvious nobody cares about how others feel, only themselves. And that's the truth, like it or NOT !

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I think I'd rather decide for myself whether or not I care about others.
Feel free to further dissect the human psyche, just don't start preaching.

Ok just a observation, but we all know my opinion is just as equally worthless as all others... Don't we ?

An opinion's worth isn't decided by any one individual.
One opinion might have no value to many, but cause a life changing epiphany to few. Is that opinion worth something or not? It depends on who you ask.

Alienated said:

But what if what you feel is irrevelant ? It doesn't matter if you feel hungry or not, if you don't eat, you die.

You use your feelings to argue for your feelings ??? FEELINGS lie !!

And yes there does have to be balance ... But that's what I am saying.... read through all these threads and posts and see how many decisions are made by feelings.... It's out of balance... And it doesn't matter how you feel about it, does it ?

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Feelings can lie, that does not mean they always do. Of course it matters how you feel about it. Feelings can be a major motivation for wanting to change one's life.

Alienated said:

Obviously people lives are screwed up because they don't FEEL normal, they don't feel like doing anything, they don't feel, feel, feel, feel, feel, feel, or they do feel, feel, feel, feel,

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I can only speak for myself, but my life became screwed up before my feelings did. Not feeling normal is a direct result of some bad things that happened to me.

Alienated said:

Gee and everything in everybody's life is out of balance.... I wonder why ? Think about it, and stop going about how you feel about it... And just get honest, because it doesn't matter how you feel about the truth. Does it ?

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Thinking and feeling is balance. We're not robots.

Alienated said:

It has been made obvious nobody cares about how others feel, only themselves. And that's the truth, like it or NOT !

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That is just flat out wrong. When I first started posting here regularly a few months ago, I was in a very dark place. One of the nicest people on this forum reached out to me, listened patiently to my story, and was there for me when no one else was. This person got nothing in return, except perhaps the good feeling you get when helping others.

I could give you many other examples of people helping each other, on this forum and in life. Many People do care about each others feelings. But for now, all I'll say is that if you're determined to see people as greedy and self-serving, that is what you'll see.

Perhaps your feelings are clouding your judgement on this issue.

Alienated said:

It has been made obvious nobody cares about how others feel, only themselves. And that's the truth, like it or NOT !

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Didn't realize you were elected to speak for the people on the whole. I must live on a different planet because this just isn't the case. True there are people who only care about themselves but certainly not everyone, some do care about how others feel. Making sweeping generalizations like that is a good way to get retorts from other members as you can see.

Yes I was very angry, from the total lack of understanding and attacks I have received.... I was wrong to generalize like that, and it was uncalled for. I should have just walked away when I said.... It's just I don't see any real help here, it seems ridiculous to me.

I see that the internet caused this plague of isolation, and loss of being able to communicate with others. It's just this place makes me FEEL worse, and loose all hope.

All of us, it's what makes us real people. We follow our hearts before we follow empty facts, in the end is what each of its feels is right.