Educational articles

Rasa Baltė Balčiūnienė
Founder of HAI Institute, author of leadership programmes

Living in the uncertainty of the digital age, one of the most important human competences is intuition and bodily sensation. In today's information noise, we find it difficult to make rational choices, so our body becomes our main tool. There is a need to develop our sense of smell so that we can listen to our bodies and feel what we want and what we don't want, what to do and what not to do.

The word "intellect" in ancient Greek meant "to perceive with both sense and reason". And it is only since the 17th century that the sense has disappeared. "I think, therefore I exist", said the famous French philosopher René Descartes.

"Aesthetics" in ancient culture meant feeling content with one's inner self. Whereas today we see aesthetics as simply attempts to shock, to provoke, to attract the attention of people with a clichéd, stereotyped mindset.

However, let us go back to the origins of the concept: aesthetics is the ability to feel inner satisfaction. When a person is able to do this, it becomes easier to choose what he or she does not need in life, and he or she no longer wastes energy on doubts. There is the knowledge of "mine" or "not mine". When we say "right or wrong, good or bad", we are judging. It is a mental construct that is formed in childhood. "Mine - not mine" sounds completely different. Aesthetic satisfaction becomes one of the criteria for making a choice. Of course, the first criterion is rational: will it be of any use, will you create value for someone? The second criterion is satisfaction. This is where the concept of intuitive aesthetics comes in - aesthetic satisfaction through sensation.

The higher the level of professional fulfilment a person reaches, the stronger the inner urge to choose what gives him or her aesthetic satisfaction, whether it is valuable works of art, or food or drink with a delicate flavour. A person's level of self-fulfilment is measured by the extent to which he has expanded his territory in his profession, i.e. the extent to which he is a successful professional in his field. The more successful a person is, the more value he creates for others, the more opportunities he has to learn how to do more complex things and the more aesthetic satisfaction he feels. Aesthetics is food for the soul. If we don't feed it, we won't have the strength to establish ourselves in our own territory.