Let's use our intuition more

We are taught from a very early age that we should do our research before we make a decision or write a paper so that we can support our basic idea with identical or similar ideas of those who we have established as credible.  In other words, before we make up our minds, we should read what others write to see if their thoughts correspond with our thoughts.  I understand about this careful approach but by the time the ideas filter down to us to where we feel comfortable to use these ideas, they will no longer be fresh and new.

In 2005, Malcolm Gladwell authored Blink, a book about rapid cognition and a new term for me called “thin slicing.”  “Thin slicing” is a psychological phrase which says, “that as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience.” Read more

In Blink we visit with the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball, the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance because of intuition.  Blink shows us that great decision makers are not those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing.”

Something is wrong with America that either keeping or changing the present administration will not fix.  Playing the “Robin Hood” card with not fix what is wrong either.  A malaise has swept through the fabric of America and penetrated the skin.  Something is wrong that not even Dr. House and his team can fix.

At a time when America is experiencing its worse economic recession since 1920’s, companies are posting record profits, newly released movies are enjoying record crowds, solid financial contributions are being made to our two political parties, and charities and churches are announcing record donations and tithes. 

Yet, if you took America’s temperature today, it would not be normal.  America’s lifestyle is killing her people and no one can see it.  Everyone is concerned with the election or wars or employment or the economy but no one sees the systemic problem of affluence.  All of our ills can be attributed to that one little word.  This is my “thin slicing,” but I have no idea how to fix it.  How do you stop people's need to be affluent while at the same time, protect these people from themselves?

We want what we want when we want it - we are the microwave generation