The Abilene Paradox

Most often your first instinct or intuition about something or someone is right. Yet, although we know that something or someone is not right for us, we go ahead and do it, or enter into a relationship anyway. Why do we do that? Why do we go against our basic intincts? In one of my college business classes this was called the 'Abilene Paradox'.

A couple was enjoying a relaxing hot afternoon on the front porch of their farm house playing cards with his parents. They had a big pitcher of leomonade and everything was cool. Then someone mentioned that maybe they should drive into Abilene(Texas), some 25 miles away, for ice cream. None of the four really wanted to do it, but each said they would go along if the group really wanted to. The next thing they knew they had piled into their car and were off to Abilene for ice cream. On the way back the car air conditioner went out, the car over-heated forcing them to pull over on the side of the highway and stand in the blazing sun for several hours while the car cooled down. When they finally got back to the house they were miserable, irratated at each other, thirsty, and exhausted. They had allowed themselves to do something that initially nobody wanted to do. They had left the comfort of the porch and turned it into disaster.

The moral of the story is to follow your first instinct. Chances are you were right.

Submitted by: CKC (Sr.)

Perfect Storm

Recently, I was dating a girl that I became totally in love with. The kind of love that when you saw her and were next to her, a feeling of euphoria and contentment swept over your body. After dating for a while, I realized that this gift of love that stems from the heart wasn't enough to calm the raging waters that came between us. I've heard love conquers all and I tried to do all I could to make things work. It came to a point when I had to use my head to pull my unwilling heart and my body out of this tornado of negativity.

Submitted by: SIAKA

Alright Hans Solo this ones for you...

Over the years I have been blessed to be in the presence of and have dated many women. Now my first statement may sound like I'm bragging but to me its just an honest comment. Myself I was called ugly alot growing up. Over the years my body has change, my mind has become stronger and I am at peace. All in all I guess these qualities have made me more attractive to women. So like most young ugly kids I have dated the women who years past would not have given me the time of day if they had on five watches and I was blind. What this leads me to is that no matter how pretty they are the ugly little boy in me always brings me back to my center. And when I come to center many things that look pretty become ugly or at least dull. Now that my ego is calming down I look at models and such type women like damn I bet your giving someone hell, and he don't even know that he's taking it all because of your looks.

Submitted by: Anonymous

Love on a 2-way street

I dated this girl back in the day who was really pretty. Runway model pretty. But she wasn't that smart. OK, maybe that's not fair. Let's just say mental stimulation was one of her least favorite activities. But hey, nobody's perfect, right? We dated for a while. Then one day during a conversation she said, "All I wanna do is stay home and have your babies." I knew right then and there it wasn't gonna last.

Lesson learned: Thankfully my heart realizes that my brain needs a little lovin' too.