Counterintuitive

I enjoy anything being counterintuitive -- which the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines as "contrary to what one would intuitively expect." I even like the WORD "counterintuitive" -- I like the sound, and I like the way it feels coming out of my mouth.

I suppose part of the reason counterintuitive things give me pleasure is that they illustrate the idea that "Truth is complicated." Sometimes if you want to go left, you have to turn right. On the surface, this just sounds wrong -- but truth is complicated.

I once heard a phrase on television that really stuck with me. Someone said: "This is an example of the 'it stands to reason' school of thought." The person went on to illustrate that the particular idea was not true, although it DID "stand to reason."

Though I have never heard this term since, it is amazing how many times people use the concept -- how many times people use "it stands to reason" to support an idea which is actually not correct. Just because an idea SEEMS to "make sense," or seems to be supported by other ideas which are correct, does not necessarily make that idea true and correct.

Counterintuitive ideas are the opposite end of the spectrum. Counterintuitive ideas do NOT "stand to reason." They do NOT seem to make sense, yet they are true and correct. I LOVE that. Truth is complicated.