According to Rav Hirsch, the snake wanted Chava to follow her instinctual desires because that's what he, as an animal, knew to be honest and true. As a human, with an understanding of the difference between our instincts vs Gods words, was meant to recognize the snake as cunning.
Can you think of a time when you or a friend actively chose to follow what you/they were told to do rather than follow your/their instincts and/or desires? What guides our decisions, our instincts or what we're told is right? When do you trust your instincts and when do you trust what you're told?
Elisheva Feldman:
ReplyDeleteI feel like as a student and a teenager your always told what to do. You are told you need to go to school, you need to do this assignment, you need to wake up now.
On Friday I'm told I will have to go to the dentis, my instinct says that I don't want a stranger to put his fingers in my mouth but in reality if you want healthy teeth you need to go to the dentist.
Also there are times when I'm tired so I listen to my instixt and sleep in late or be lazy and not do my work but later I regret it bc I'll have a massive pile of work I need to do.
Interesting take on this: as humans we often NEED to push aside our instincts not just because we're told to, but because its actually better for us!
DeleteFor many people it is hard to follow your instincts when an authority figure tells you why to do. Since they are in charge of you and usually older and wiser you tend to think that they have to be right and your instinct is wrong, even though you may be the one who is right. A lot of the times, however, your instincts are not he right thing to do. For example, my instinct may be to sleep more because I am tired and my body needs rest, but listening to your parents and waking up for school is the right thing to do. Sometimes, however, your instincts are right. When you are in a social situation and your instincts tell you to leave, but a friend tells you to stay, your instincts are probably right and you should leave.
ReplyDeleteGreat psychological point at the beginning! For some reason its harder to do something when we're told we HAVE to. Why is that?!
DeletePeer pressure is a classical example. People tend to follow what their/ what being pressured into doing rather then following their instinct.
ReplyDeleteI think both one's instincts and what they are told both play a role in out decision making.
There is no black and white answer of when to follows your instincts verses when to follow what your told it is very dependent on the situation
-Anna Kaplan
Great example!
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ReplyDeleteIn High School, we are always told what to do. Even when we get home from school, we are instructed that we must use our free time to do more school work and study for more tests. Essentially, even when we are not actually in High School, High School regulations still apply. When I am home, I desire to use my free time as I wish, but I am instructed to use the time to do my work. Usually my instincts tell me that I must get my work done, but sometimes my instincts tell me that it is ok to just take a break.
ReplyDeleteEden Mendelsohn
There are many times when I have listened to a friend instead of following my instincts. This happens every day only with little things. For example, throughout high school I have gone with my friends to the bathroom, to someones office, or to find a teacher when I did not desire to go. I think our decisions are guided by the way we are brought up, by our knowledge of right and wrong, and by our emotions. Everyone is brought up differently and has different views on what is right and wrong resulting in different instincts. We make decisions based on what we were taught was right or what we saw others do in similar situations. In my opinion, we are mostly told what to do and rarely trust our instincts. People are always telling us what to do and there will always be someone in charge of us or someone we have to answer to. There are many moments when we trust our instincts, which I think is good and we should be listening to our instincts more often.
ReplyDeleteElana Edery
Everyday as teenagers,students, and people we struggle with choosing between doing what we want or what someone else says. In school we are told to listen and follow the rules set by our teachers even though our desire could be to play on our phone or eat a snack during class. It's an instinct to go with your friend to the cafeteria or the bathroom even if our desire not to but they just asked or told you to come. Our decision to do something is guided by our instincts, however it is also influenced on what is right in that moment. The only way to know and to trust which to choose, desire/instinct vs what we are told, is to decide after looking at the situation. if your instinct is just do whatever you want at all times then at some point you will realize that maybe it's the right choice, or maybe listening to someone else and hearing a different perspective is better.
ReplyDelete-Michelle
i think we as humans are constantly having to battle between following our instincts/ desires and what is told is right. when we follow our instincts we don't think of the consequences or the outcomes that derive from them. its just instinct and we don't think it all the way through. however, i feel that it could be the same by following society and what society thinks is right. even though one say its the right thing to do doesn't mean it is. many times one just follows what others do so they don't stand out. an example of this is raising your hand in class. although its insticnt to just blurt out what you want to say, we follow what we are told to do and we raise out hand and wait out turn.
ReplyDeleteThis year I've had to write more college essays than I care to count. In them, I'm asked to express myself in a certain number of words and in a well written way. Each time I write a draft in which I spew whatever comes to mind, and afterwards, my dad helps me polish it up. At this stage, in order to fit it all into the word limit, I'm forced to take out things I consider important details about myself if they don't add anything to the essay. I must also change my words around in order to sound more well spoken, but at that point it stops sounding like me. Sometimes it IS important to listen to other's suggestions -- like my dad's for example -- in order to get things done, and done well. The assistance is vital to getting a college to notice me, but when the words no longer sound like my own, that's when it's time to follow my instincts.
ReplyDeleteWe tend to listen to others more than ourselves either because we want to appear favorable in their eyes, or because we believe them to have some sort of knowledge that we do not. It's important, in these cases, that we maintain the balance between who THEY are and who WE are.
There have definitely been times when I’ve decided to do what I’m told rather than what I want to. I still live in my parents’ house and go to school, so I always have to decide between things I have to do and things I want to do. However, over time, I feel like we learn when following our own instincts is detrimental, and when it’s ok. If I never did anything anyone else told me to, I’d constantly be making mistakes- as a kid, guidance, to some degree at least, is important.
ReplyDeleteSo I think what tends to guide my decisions depends- If I am very sure that my way is the right way, I’d do what I feel is right. But, if it’s the opinion of my mom or someone who’s an expert in the area, I might push aside my own opinion if they’re probably right.
- Tara
Giving in to what people tell you to do mainly revolves around the concept of pear pressure. You go through life and people tell you to do things that you know you shouldn't do, but you do it anyways. For examples, when I was younger, people would tell me to cut class or show up late. Knowing it was wrong and against the rules, I did it anyways. Same goes for drinking alcohol and taking drugs. People know that it hurts your body, yet you can be easily convinced into doing it without realization. Most of the time, our decisions are made by our instincts. Most people don't think before they act and they can end up making a decision that they regret.
ReplyDeleteTamar Shoen
In general, teenagers everywhere are influenced by peer pressure and the fear of authority figures. A student may not want to do his or her homework, study for a test, or show up to class on time, but fear of getting a bad grade or a detention makes people do what they're supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteThe way we're raised influences what we believe is right and helps develop our instincts. If you're raised in a religious Jewish home, your instincts will tell you not to eat pork. However, if you're raised in a Christian home, your instincts will not tell you this (unless you are a vegetarian).
You trust whatever tells you what is best for you. You don't have to work ridiculously hard on an assignment for your grade if it's affecting your mental and physical health. Doing it may be what you're told, but if your instincts tell you to take a break, you should do so.
Orly Mobilio
Instinct is our bodies way of telling us what we should do vs what we want to do. For example, I often walk home by myself a lot at night even though my instinct tells me it's not safe. We often choose to ignore what's obviously right/wrong because we want to succumb to our desires.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in kindergarten I remember that there was a girl in my class who was different than everyone. All of the girls in my class started to bully her and rather than join in instinctively, I befriended her because I felt terrible for her. I remember almost giving in to my instinct but I knew that it would be wrong. That is the only memory I have of almost giving in to my instinct. I believe that what we consider right is what feels right in our hearts. Every person has a different spectrum of what is right and wrong and that is what makes everyone truly different. I trust my instinct when I think of the effects it will have. If those effects are harmless then I trust my instinct but if the effects hurt someone or myself I know that it's not right. When it comes to what people tell you to do i go through the same process and see if anyone gets hurt from the effects. If no one does then I can trust what people tell me to do.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Tajfel