Some years ago, I came up with a concept I call Psychic’s Disease, which I define as the certainty that something must be true because you believe it so strongly. This pitfall is particularly relevant to people who are learning to live by intuition, which often requires that you suspend or overrule logical thinking. Sometimes this is necessary, sometimes invaluable. But like everything else in life it can be carried too far, and often is.
We often see the same trait among particularly narrow minded religious people, who think their interpretation of Scripture the only one possible. So they see “an eye for an eye” and are positive that this can only be rightly read as meaning “at least an eye for an eye,” when it may very well mean “no more than an eye for an eye.” Alternative possible readings of scriptural texts do not occur to them, and would only make them uneasy.
It is always more satisfying to a certain kind of personality to jump to a conclusion and cling to it than to live with ambiguity and continually question their own assumptions. Perhaps Psychics Disease would be better termed Know-It-All Disease. And perhaps it would be as well if we always kept an eye out for its appearance in our own mental processes.
Dear Mr DeMarco,
I find that in trying to live by my intuition, I find I’m often mistaken, or that I’ve only understoond only part of the lesson at hand. I find that if I get too caught up in my logical mind, that is another pitfall as well. I try to use both, depending on the situation, sort of like a balancing act.
When it comes to some religious people who are hooked on a particular Scripture, and get really zealous, I steer clear. Why a person would choose to stick to their conclusion and cling to it so tenaciously, seems to be out of fear. It can be scary to continually question one’s self, but unless I do, how can I continue to grow and evolve? I suppose it lies in building one’s confidence. Thank you for posting this!
Sincerely,
Naomi