I sat down to watch one of Disney’s all-time blockbuster Aladdin with the kids. As we watched, a line from the lyric stuck to me. Mind you, this wasn’t my first time seeing Aladdin, but somehow my head wove around the words and I was lost in its powerful hemispheral.
As Aladdin and his newly found love explored the beauty of nature on the magic carpet gasping in the freedom they just discovered, I wondered what it really means to let your heart decides. Let your heart decides.
Hear me out, I wasn’t talking about the butterfly the wretched Aladdin had in his stomach when he met the princess or the trials lurking above their love. Oh no, far from it. I was deeply motivated by the heart and its desires, what it chooses and how it happens.
The heart I am referring to is different from the hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system nor is it the organ protected with muscles and flesh behind the cage of your ribs.
The Heart That Decides
Part of what I learnt growing up in the slum of Lagos was to listen to my heart. I learnt that deep within me, there are two inaudible voices speaking loudly in their calmness. One is louder and more audible and the other calm and subtle.
The louder voice of the heart is the domineering one. It is a bully and often commands with palpitations and authority. In comparison, the quiet voice of your heart is passive-aggressive. It is that lingering voice ever-present in you even when the louder one has taken over. The quieter path of you knows what is good for you and despite its weakness, it is strong enough to let you know its opinion. The heart that decides is the metaphysical heart and this is the heart of the matter that got me thinking: Our minds and in their strangest forms.
“Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.” Prophet Muhammed (SWW)
Although I was taught to listen to my heart, I didn’t understand the arduousness of this cliche. The louder part is often impatient and most likely leads you to decisions that you are likely to regret. It is the voice behind all unhealthy addictions. It has a tune and pipes of pride all around it.
Listening To Its Rhythm
Letting your heart decides is listening to that voice that knows you. You might need to muster the courage to follow that quiet voice of yours and identify its truth. Undoubtedly, this silent chattering voice in you might seem weak and indecisive.
To know the difference between the voices in your head, you might need to be still, ponder and reflect. Behind every decision you take, there are voices stating their opinions, brandishing their takes on you. “Should I eat a piece of fruit or cake?” , “Do I forgive this person or not?” , “Should I revenge a wrong nor not?”
These voices are ever-present and without an iota of doubt, they might lead you to a state of confusion. Identifying the true nature of these voices is necessary.
The Courage To Follow
The loud voice replayed those phrases your annoying neighbour uttered. The more it replays the phrase the angrier you become. Remember what happened when you see your neighbour? The loud voice laid down the command destructively and you followed its whims and caprice.
Not Known, because not looked for. But heard, half-heard, in the stillness between two waves of the sea. TS Eliot
The loud voice doesn’t just make you see reasons, it gives you thousands of reasons to yield to its command. It is the voice that leads you to the slaughterhouse while you dance to your favourite tune.
The quite voice chooses right because it sees beyond the flashiness of what you desire. It makes you listen and reason. It is the part of the heart that differentiates the two dominant reality of our existence: the material and spiritual.
In its unharness, the quiet voice knows we have limited hours to our mortality, this voice implores you to make hay while the sun shines. Listen to that voice that holds the dream for you. The forgiving voice of your mind, the voice that holds no grudges.
The Inaudible
Let your heart decides what food to eat for it knows what your body desires. Allow it to dictates what is good for you in matters of the heart. It is possible to train yourself to listen. Be present. This quiet argumentative voice loves to be part of the decisions you make in because it has lived with you long enough to know the true you.
There are times when the quiet voice of your mind gets excited ( an integral roughness of its counterpart) when it suddenly discovered ideas you never thought of. In times like this, you feel the sensation of its genuineness enveloping you with its rays. The difference is often crystal clear.
And there would be those times when you are lured into the realm of other people’s intelligence, but within you is a heart beautifully created whispering to you the truth of existence.
So, next time the monkeys in your head are chattering, bouncing off the walls of your mind and distorting the peacefulness of your mortal being: stop, breath and be present. Seclude yourself or walk with nature for your heart decides in solitary: somewhere far away from fanciful and colourful distractions.
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Great piece 👍