The Faithful Servant and the Forgotten Gift—Reclaiming the Sacred Gift of Spontaneity

We live in a world obsessed with control. Planning, optimising, scheduling — it’s the rhythm of modern life. We feel accomplished when our calendars are packed, our to-do lists ticked off, and our plans meticulously followed. There’s a strange kind of security in it, like if we plan hard enough, we can keep chaos at bay.

But at what cost?

Albert Einstein once said, “The rational mind is a faithful servant, and the intuitive mind is a sacred gift. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

It’s true, isn’t it? In our quest for certainty and control, we’ve forgotten what it feels like to trust our instincts, to let go of the map and see where the road leads.

I’m not writing this as a reformed planner or someone who has thrown away their Google Calendar in a fit of rebellion. Truthfully, I’ve never been the kind of person who thrives on structure. My life has often been guided by last-minute decisions and serendipitous opportunities. But even for someone like me, spontaneity hasn’t always come easily.

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It wasn’t until I started paying attention to how we think about planning — and why we crave it so much — that I realised something: our obsession with planning isn’t about efficiency. It’s about fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of feeling untethered.

And yet, it’s the moments of spontaneity — the ones that couldn’t be planned, predicted, or prepared for — that stand out most vividly. Think about your own life. What are the stories you tell over and over again? I’d bet they aren’t the ones that went according to plan.

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For me, spontaneity isn’t about being reckless or impulsive. It’s about creating space for the unexpected. It’s about trusting the “sacred gift” of intuition that Einstein spoke about and rediscovering the joy that comes when we stop trying to control everything.

This isn’t to say that planning is bad. Planning has its place. But it’s not the whole story. The problem is that we’ve made it the only story.

When we lean too heavily on the faithful servant, we lose sight of the gift. We trade curiosity for caution, adventure for routine, and connection for control. And in doing so, we forget how much life there is to live outside of our carefully constructed plans.

So here’s a challenge: what would happen if you left a little more room for spontaneity? Not as a rejection of planning, but as an invitation to wonder. A permission slip to say yes when logic says no.

Because life isn’t meant to be fully planned. It’s meant to surprise us, spark new connections, and create experiences we never expected. If you’re ready to embrace the spontaneous and meaningful moments in life, join the Kinnect community and discover how we can help you make real-life connections — whenever, wherever. Download Kinnect today.

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Photo by Gaining Visuals on Unsplash