- Business and religious leaders, as well as politicians, understand that basic instincts drive our behavior. I have come to believe that every decision takes place in our emotional (limbic) brain and then is rationalized by our analytical (neocortical) brain.
Albert Einstein once said, "We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles but no personality. It cannot lead; it can only serve."
Leaders know and science has discovered emotionality's deeper purpose: the timeworn mechanisms of emotion allow two human beings to receive the contents of each other's minds. Emotion is the messenger of love; it is the vehicle that carries every signal from one brimming heart to another.
Yet, our greatest emotional fear is the fear of death. Our emotional decisions govern why we vote for the politician who promises to protect us from the fear of terrorism...or...join the religion that promises us life after death...or...buy the big SUV with the front and side airbags that promises to save us from death in a crash.
A sign I saw today in front of a Presbyterian Church states, "If you're ready to die, you're ready to live!" This experience reminded me of how the religious wars of the world feed on the same "fear of death" message---whether to convince the older person approaching death to join the religion or the young suicide bomber to carry out his or her mission---because there is a better life after death.
In politics, I am reminded of Margaret Thatcher's re-election in the United Kingdom where the "Falklands Factor" was a major factor in the wide Conservative majority in the June 1983 general election---a political high point for the Thatcher government.
In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, the only invasion of a British territory since World War II. Argentina has claimed the islands since an 1830s dispute on their settlement. Within days, Thatcher sent a naval task force to recapture the Islands, which was successful, resulting in a wave of patriotic enthusiasm for her, personally, at a time when her popularity had been at an all-time low for a serving UK Prime Minister. The short war also allowed British Aerospace to successfully test their heat-seeking missiles which led to many new weapons sales.
Being aware of how our emotions, and especially our fears, drive our behavior can help us to make better decisions in life.
"Once the fear of death is transcended, life becomes a transformed experience because that particular fear underlies all others. Few people know what it is to live without fear--but beyond fear lies joy, as the meaning and purpose of existence become transparent." Power and Force, The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
