Scam Likely

                                      Scam Likely 

My phone gives me a warning “Scam Likely” when an unknown number or a number tagged as a solicitor rings in. When I see this message I end the call. I like this feature because it saves me from aggravating calls I don’t want and protects me from clever scammers that hope I can be duped.  Why don’t we have phone messages that warn us when we are about to say or do something stupid or dangerous like “ Shut up”  or “Get the hell out of here.”? How about being able to scan a person and get a message about their integrity, like “Lie Likely” or “Trustworthy”?  Avoiding negative consequences with the help of a smart phone which is smarter than I am seems pretty cool, but would I listen?

Remember how your parents didn’t know anything? It seems experience may be the best teacher, but we can ignore our parents experiences because we know “ It won’t happen to me.”. If we have learned Option A  brings the same negative result over and over, then it seems logical we would choose a different option next time. Not so fast! We humans are rarely logical.  If our phone tells us to “Shut up.”, but we are sure the world and our spouse needs to hear what we have to say, we may override the phone warning. We could  think “This time it will be different.”, or “I have to prove I am right”. When I remember to ask myself  “Why am I talking?”, I find I have less to say, and fewer words to eat. It sure would be nice to get a text message reminding me to think before I open my mouth.

Intuition or those weird feelings telling us something is wrong are the “text”messages we get from our sub-conscious. Sometimes I talk myself out of seemingly “irrational” feelings because  I don’t trust myself. If I can’t point to an experience that backs up what I am feeling, should I ignore a feeling based on intuition?  When I say I am getting bad or good vibes, this is what I am talking about. What I have learned is that it is better for me to listen to my intuition. The cold, hard facts may not tell the whole story. The truth may lie in the realm of emotions and sensing, more than in the facts. If all the arrows point West, the best decision could be to go East. We’re often told to make a list of the pros and cons when we are making a big decision, but I’ve found for me these lists are less important that asking myself “How do I feel about a choice? Do I feel at peace with this choice?” Even when I know one path may be harder than the other, I may choose the harder path because it feels right. Still it would be nice, if my smart phone could give me GPS directions so I would know I am going in the right direction in my life. But what fun is that, if joy comes from being lost?