LIST
Agave syrup, stamps, socks, sticky tape… Go on, admit it. You have a list somewhere, don’t you. A to-do list, a wish list, a grocery list… I am sure you do. It is such an adult thing to do. Pros and cons, anyone? How often do lists feature in your decision-making process? This article is not actually about words or lists, but we are starting our journey here because lists represent a way of thinking. They are an attempt to capture what is seen and known in order to make the best possible decision and thus, secure the best possible outcome. Logical, no? Does it work? I am not anti-list (nor anti-Liszt), they have their uses and I am as guilty as the next person, but as we said of words last month: are lists enough?
What’s wrong with lists, you might say? Nothing really, but before we move beyond them, let’s understand that way of thinking. When you make a list you generally assume that you are able to choose the components needed in order to assess a situation or make a particular decision (what if there is something you had not considered?). You also assume that those components you have chosen to put on your list (as opposed to those you have left off it, if you are aware of any) are more important than the others (why is a whole other question). Finally you assume that based on those items on your list, you have all you need and can move ahead with your decisions. What’s ‘wrong’ with this picture? Let’s dig into this a bit through an experiment I read about a number of years ago.
Social psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis and his colleagues presented two groups of students with the same task. They were shown advertisements for several apartments in Amsterdam, each with varying attributes making them more/less desirable. They were given the same amount of time in which to reach their decision about which apartment was the best choice. The difference was that one group was allowed to think, while the other was given various cognitive tasks that kept them occupied during those same few minutes. After time was up both groups had to make their choice; one group made their decision consciously, and the other unconsciously. Results revealed that the unconscious thinkers (who had been occupied with the cognitive task) made the best decisions. This raised the question about the role of different kinds of processing in our decision-making, and this is still very much a topic of interest in research. In any case, the first group would have had time to make their lists and weigh their pros and cons. The second group had no time for that yet made the best decision anyway. What does that say about lists? And where am I going with this? Stay with me.
We said lists represent a way of thinking. Lists involve using all that is seen and known in order to move forward in life. What Dijksterhuis demonstrates is that we are more than capable of making important decisions without relying on lists (and what they represent) as the ultimate instrument of success. We are capable of seeing even when we are not looking. In other words, our body, our whole being is able to capture that which we need in order to move forward in life in a much more comprehensive way than we often imagine. This leads me to where I want us to land this month: the little prince.
French aviator, poet and count Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote one of the most well-known children’s books of all times, Le Petit Prince. No matter your age, if you have not read it put that on your list (!). Without giving it all away to those of you for whom it will be new, one of the key insights the Little Prince discovers during his adventures is that one can only see the important things in life with from within: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye (On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur, l’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux).” A biblical passage complements the Little Prince’s insight: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18). Both passages invite us to consider where we get stuck with our surface perceptions, with our lists of what is seen, and look at what is unseen. The invitation is to look deeper, look differently. The difference is not only in the way we see, but what we see. According to these two texts the unseen is of lasting value. That is what ultimately matters.
By all means list away. We are wise to not do away with our ability to consciously assess, calculate and evaluate the world around us. But just as the bodily can never be replaced by words as we saw last time, so the unconscious can never be replaced by the conscious. The unseen can never be replaced by the seen. If we are open, honest and willing to grow, then this realisation compels us to keep accessing our inner eyes. It compels us to continually go deeper in our engagement with ourselves and the world.
Developing, trusting and looking with your inner eyesight, trusting something you cannot see but know in your body and being to be true, that is a journey worth taking. How one goes about doing that is a whole other conversation, but for now, this realisation is a crucial starting point if nothing else. How is your inner eyesight? Would you say you are easily able to see with your inner self or do you struggle at times? If so, do you know why? If you take a look now, what can you see that might otherwise go unnoticed?
Right, newsletter done. Check. What’s next on my list… !
Think Different: The Merits of Unconscious Thought in Preference Development and Decision Making. Ap Dijksterhuis, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 87(5), Nov 2004, 586-598
(c) Belinda É. Samari
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