August 28, 2026
Ta-Nehisi Coates in his book The Message says there is no quality in American intellectual life more problematic than the intellect, saying, “We overrate intellect and underrate wisdom.”
His example is profound. Palestine. Here is a problem that has been intellectualized through historical analysis to defend indefensible actions.
“I could drop anybody from my Baltimore neighborhood on the West Bank and in two days, they would understand the lack of justice. Do I need a PhD on the Middle East to understand this? No, you don’t need it. You would just know. The basic morality of it is not complicated. The basic morality of what is right and what is wrong is rarely complicated.”
He is talking about heart-centered wisdom. To intellectually explain why a problem exists, citing chapter and verse of political and economic realities, bypasses entirely the reality that something is flat out morally wrong.
It is an unfortunate truth that the decisions we make in navigating our modern society are rarely heart centered. We are increasingly focused on individual wealth, where we once prioritized building schools, improving human lives through science, organizing around churches and community centers that identify neighbors in need and take care of them.
As a society, we have lost the language of heart-centered communication. We have lost the will to sacrifice our own wants and desires for purposes of creating heart-centered communities. We have lost the art of building heart-centered companies who care as much for the people they employ and the environment as they do for profits.
There isn’t a major religion in the world that does not view the heart – rather than the mind – as the seat of human consciousness and the focus of lived practice, whether it is Jesus’ Great Commandment and emphasis on compassion and love; Islam’s focus on the Qalb – our deep inner core that holds faith, intention, and reason; Hindu belief in the spiritual heart or hridaya, where the individual soul and the universal divine spark reside; or the Buddhist practice of heart meditation focused on compassion and mercy for all living beings.
Ta-Nehisi Coates invites us to wake up from the miasma of modern society and decide with our hearts, rather than with our heads.
Heart-centered meditation can help us move towards more heart-centered decision-making. Here’s a practice that is simple and effective.
When faced with a decision – and it is helpful to start with simple ones as a practice – place your hand on your heart and ask your heart to make the decision. Don’t ask your bank account. Don’t let your cravings decide. Don’t glance across the fence to see what the Jones are doing. Don’t consult social media.
Sit quietly with your hand on your heart and let your heart inform your decisions. You will be surprised at how quickly the quality of your life changes for the better and your outlook on the world moves from despair to compassionate action. ~Syndie Eardly