"But I Have Another Duty, and that Duty Is To My Heart"

   Has anyone heard of this before? I bet we've all encountered this at some point in our life. You may have read it from a cheesy quote you saw on Facebook or have crossed upon a hipster-looking Instagram bio, or you may have heard it from a film. Ever heard of Mulan? Exactly; this quote comes from a badass warrior that is literally based on Mulan, true badass-ery that took shape, fought the odds and made history like the badass she is. While we're on that topic, let's recollect the movie for a bit.

   Mulan was only 16 when everything happened. She had always been told and taught on how to be a fine, young woman whose purpose was only to be in the house and serve her husband at all times. With this, she grew up thinking this was the norm, her destiny, but she was different and that depressed her, especially when she failed the bride test. As she tried to fit in, she could not help but feel a weight on her chest. Her heart banging and shaking her ribs as her mind tried to lecture her. The weight was even insurmountable when she found out that her old, weak father was ordered to serve the army once again. Everyone present in that era would think that a perfect daughter would simply obey to stay at home and it would be absolutely bonkers for any female to do anything other than what they were told to and to be anything than what they were expected to--- it was deemed suicidal. But alas, she chose the suicide; she took her father's place (without leaving any information!) under the disguise of being a man. And so came the sequence of events.

   Where did she end up? My friend, she ended up in total happiness. Bonus the whole saving China.

   While Mulan taught us feminism, she also taught us a more valuable lesson: following your heart.

   She knew that becoming a good wife would be right, but would it feel right? Would she feel right letting her fragile loved one serve the army while she stayed at home, knowing she was perfectly capable? Her mind must have asked her heart, "Do you not think that your father would die a happy man when he sees you blossoming to a woman?" to which her heart must have replied, "What is the point of my father waiting for death to become happy when I could create happy memories with him instead?" Or perhaps that one time when she volunteered to marry the prince instead, taking the place of the three princesses? Her mind must have said, "What are you doing! You were only tasked to escort the three princesses!" to which her heart must have answered, "The princesses deserve their freedom."

   "And you don't?"

   "I am also doing this to be freed from the guilt if the princesses were to marry him and have enslaved lives."

   A total paradox, the heart is. But still, Mulan chose everything out from her heart, not from her mind. She could not explain it neither could her heart, but it felt so right. There were definite times where she fell because of the decision she chose, but she has never regretted anything.

   In a simpler situation, imagine you’re about to walk your way home when it suddenly starts to pour. You’ve always loved the rain, your heart thumps for the rain and how it pitter patters onto you, yet your mind argues that you should not for you might get sick. If I were to choose, I’d go ahead with the rain. It’d be a stupid decision, but I’d be happy. Same goes when you’re helping someone out despite of how it’ll make you late.

   The moral of this is: our heart is one crazy bastard. It desires something usually without rationality. The mind and heart constantly bicker and averse one another. One restricts feelings while the other lacks reasoning. Nonetheless, we have the right to choose which to follow. It's not being implied that we should now disregard what the mind is trying to tell us; it cares for us too. But in all honesty, who follow their hearts nowadays? Our society's expectations might have been injected in our minds, hence, we rarely follow our whacky hearts anymore. But life is too short to not listen to the heart. Do not be afraid of getting hurt for no matter what we will do, we will get hurt; it's how life is. So why not listen to the beat of our hearts?