There is a logical side to life. There are many things we can investigate and discover, and reasonably predict and control going forward. But there are also many aspects of life that remain mysterious. And it’s best to simply learn to enjoy these aspects rather than attempt to dissect them in vain.
To be sure, there’s a place for reason and wrestling to figure out the complex problems of life. Many times we don’t do our due diligence to thoughtfully think through issues. And this can leave us making many foolish and costly decisions.
But life also cannot be reduced to mere rational problems to be solved. With a certain proverbs, there are some things too wonderful to understand.
Of course, we can explain how eagles soar, snakes slither, ships sail, and even some of the neurochemical processes of falling in love. But these technical explanations still fall short in understanding the awe we experience in witnessing such things. For instance, there’s a mystery to a kiss that cannot be explained by simply understanding the science of it.
The human soul is also deep and mysterious. This is why even after years of knowing someone we’re often still surprised from time to time. There’s always more to discover in ourselves and in each other. And we miss this depth and complexity when we put each other into simplistic boxes or assume we’re just problems to be solved.
This happens, for example, when we try to get our wife to conform to our idea of her simply to make our life easier. Or when we focus merely on fixing her problems rather than truly seeking to understand her heart.
A better approach is learning to enjoy the mysteries she embodies. While frustrating at times, we only add to our frustration when we try to make her fit into the box of our logical explanations.
By all means, analyze and pursue rational explanations whenever possible. And remember there’s much wisdom in learning to accept and enjoy the many mysteries of life as well.
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
