Senses or Reason or Both

We were asked in class on Monday if we trust our senses more or our ability to reason. I think I am a happy medium of both. I don’t fall too easily into my emotions. In fact I would prefer if I did not have to share what I am feeling with the world. It is part of what makes me an introverted person. I don’t feel like everyone should know how I am feeling or what is going on with my life. However, I do think that I share an appropriate amount of information about myself as to not go completely insane while alone in my thoughts. I believe that I follow my head too often. I do not buy something without deep consideration as to if I really need it or not. I am not a creature to give way to my desires and wants. This is partly because of the way I have been raised. My father knows the value of a dollar and he has instilled that knowledge into me also. As for matters of the heart I am forever talking myself out of potentially good things. So I think I reason too much there. But the reason I reason (ha) is because I don’t want my emotions to get destroyed. I don’t always think that following your senses is a good thing. It can get you into a lot of trouble. For example, if you are constantly in want of a certain taste you are ignoring all of the other things that are out there and available to you. We were blessed with the ability to reason by God (thus giving us the ability to either climb the ladder into the heavenly realm or descent into the world of the brutes – thank you Pico) and I don’t take that lightly. Because I am capable of thought I want to make sure that I do everything that I think is right for me and for those around me. I do not want to be pushed around by my senses but I also don’t want to miss out on life experiences because I am too busy thinking about things. I think this trip has been a way for me to figure out what I want in the world and how I can achieve it. I thought about my money situation and converting money but if I wanted a gelato I would purchase it. (Again, bear with me if this is a bit deductive, but I’m musing about my life.) I do not really know anyone who is completely driven by their senses, although I do think I know some people who are driven by their ability to reason. I can’t imagine not having both. I think that this is another Aristotelian mean thing. You can’t be on opposite ends of the spectrum. You won’t get everything out of life that is possible. The reason we have both the senses and ability to reason is because we were meant to use both. And that is what I think.