Intuition and Instinct are our Friends

Say the word intuition, and some will cringe. It sounds too new-age, too touchy-feely. And its close cousin, instinct, sounds animalistic. Western culture tends to denigrate information that comes to us through means other than logic, reason and analysis. Yet, intuition and instinct can save us from hassle and heartache, lead us to happiness, even save our lives. Here's a real life example. A number of years ago I was driving in Manhattan on a Saturday night. The light was green. I was crossing Second Avenue, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a car approaching the intersection from my left running his red light. I had about a quarter of a second before impact. There was no time for to think, no time for fear. only time to act. I gunned the gas. Kaboom! My car was lifted into the air, spinning as I was jerked around as if I were in a crazy carnival ride. The impact was on the left side, the driver's side of the car. I was in the middIe of the intersection when I felt the impact. I saw the driver's side window dissolve. The impact was so great that when I landed, the car was on the sidewalk facing into the street. Its back was just inches away from the traffic light. My car was totaled but the seatbelt held firm. I walked out with nothing more than a few minor scratches. When I gunned the gas, my car advanced just enough so the other vehicle hit the rear passenger seats and not the driver's seat. That action saved me from, at minimum, serious physical injury. It was an action of sheer instinct - coming from the