I believe that your intuition is life's way of pushing you towards your destiny. When you ignore what you know is right for you, you stray from your destiny. For example, yesterday I drove home a way I have never driven before even though I knew that it made more sense for me to drive the other way. I got a speeding ticket for going 35 in a school zone 10 minutes after the school zone time ended. I will never be driving that way home again.
In the Odyssey, Odysseus trusts in signs from the gods and trusts that he is doing what is right. He never second guesses his actions because he never goes against what he is feeling at the moment. As a class we thought that that might be because he is so self absorbed but I believe it is because he has faith in himself. Everything he does leads him to yet another person willing to help him return to his family. His intuition leads him to trust the gods and the plan they have for him. But in Plainsong, the characters go against what they know is good for them and wind up in terrible situations with lives they never intended to have. Sharlene knows that her relationship is detrimental to her well being and Guthrie knows that he and his wife no longer care for eachother yet both cling to their current situation and their past. On the other hand, Victoria follows her intuition and finds herself in the best possible place she could be with her unborn child. She ends up in a caring and respectful environment that helps her become a responsible young mother. It seems that the more self-confidence a character has, the more likely they are to follow their intuition.
Perhaps your big question has more to do with the power of intuition, that way you can avoid the whole "fate" issue.
ReplyDeleteDoes Western civilization put too little emphasis/trust in intuition?
Are intuitive leaders best?
How do you know when to trust your intuition/gut--in other words, what might be false signals?