On Intuition.

Events of the past few days have been somewhat central to my understanding of how things are supposed to work and why they never do. The problem lies not in the things about us, but hinge about the things in us. Quite specifically, a key problem is intuition.

Yes. Intuition and instinct, the non-rational (note: not irrational) component in us that is dismissed as a happenstance phenomenon by our logical minds. It stands to reason that what doesn't stand to reason stands to be reasoned to be a "Phenomenon" not worthy of great intellectual rigour, merely to be accepted as fact or fable, depending on what one wants to argue. What most rational beings fail to consider is that this component deserves not to be overlooked but to be looked upon, as a cornerstone of the foundation of the building of thought. Despite the apparent unreliability, inexplicability and ineffability of one's intuition, it fully demands that we tend to its offerings and act as per it.

Well, I'm not extolling on intuition's reliability, nor attempting to explain nor eff the inexplicably ineffable. Merely making an honest observation on how it affects life.

Firstly, the obvious use of intuition. To render luck in one's favour, maintain credence in a belief of luck. To do so, rely not on ruthless logic but on gut feel, and there will be the illusory feeling of luck at the very least. Intuition trumps logic the same way bicycles trump jet fighters: one of them is a hell lot more accessible and user-friendly. (For that matter, an extended analogy is Apple > Microsoft.)

Next, a less obvious apparition of intuition. Language. One learns languages from the ground up (no other groundbreaking approaches I've heard of, like starting with rhetoric and proceeding to grammar.) So we first become aware of the existence of the noun, the verb and the participle. Then we learn a whole new way of mixing them up, grammar. It's not "Book is a on shelf that" but "A book is on that shelf", although rules can be warped into other patterns, "like ancient tablets, on which inscribed are symbols, foreign to eyes of modern" but still perfectly grammatical.

The point being, that however odd or convoluted the grammar, the brevity or length of the word, as soon as one is accustomed to using it, there's no further need to acknowledge, consciously, the rules of language. One just surfaces the polished product at the end, having sent the package through a subconscious construction. The rules of language become embedded in an instinctive, intuitive layer of one's mind. When that occurs, it seems simplicity itself to use language, rather than struggle over conjugation, form and structure.

Yet, alas, few manage to perceive or even be aware of the third layer of intuition. Once applied, it saves time in life. Similar to language, the syntax of intuition can be deciphered. Repeated actions, repeated sights, repeated exposure can lead to imprints on the subconscious strata of the mind. Punch a wall repeatedly, and eventually you'll know the pain of the wall, not of your fist. See the patterns on a chessboard repeatedly, and you'll see how and why it works, despite the principles remaining murky. Stay in the winter's chill for weeks, and at the end lies not chill, but winter's warmth.

Application is far more difficult, of course. If your state of mind is right (if you feel that everything in the world on that day, is yours, will be yours) and the subject resonates to you, achieving that level of instinctive aptitude is a matter of days if not weeks, weeks if not months, months if not years. Observe and admire not the details but the feel of a subject, and accept it as your own.

This even works for maths. I don't know if this really works for anyone but me, but I like memorising/factorising car number plates. How? Don't remember 4-digit numbers (e.g. 6495 = sixthousandfourhundredninetyfive) but as a string of vowels, the feel of a number (... how to write this? Trying to explain, 495 is a 'dry' number, 64 a 'mellow' number and 95 a 'sticking-out' number, remember the feel of the groups. And no, I don't know why I assign those tags.)

Whatever it is, some people also have natural talent. Either in the form of genius (grasping immediately concepts far past their level, able to explain it out) or the unsung 'genius' (possibly negative - I know one who can, pretending or not, consistently pick out the worst chess move in critical situations. Failing that, generic bad moves.) Developing those should be easier than for others who have to discover their resonance.

Also, intuition only gets one so far. True mastery of anything takes many, MANY long hours of studying (in order to beat the crazy people who studied before them) and this is simply unavoidable, barring a deep innate talent for the subject. Generally, intuition can get one quickly to the standard of one who learns by rote, and possibly leapfrogging many who do not see the underlying concepts and structures of skills. Emulation, analysis, dissection into components... all aspects of this art of intuition.



Thinking of the blue radiance,
Gently illuminating true wisdom,
Lighting the path to the faceted jewel,
The centre of understanding this dream.
Fear not the light, fear not the dark.
Dream of the knowledge that neither imparts.