Much like memories, emotions are what define us as humans. They give us the ability to empathize and sympathize. By being aware of our emotions we are able to use them to our advantage. However, this often turns into manipulation, where people exploit you due to their awareness of your emotions. A simple example would be a person trying to emotionally blackmail you. They rely on your emotional response to what would happen if they did something to manipulate you.
Every choice we make is either propelled by emotion or has an emotional outcome. People are killed out of anger and spite whilst others suffer from sadness and depression. On the other hand, we perform good deeds because it makes us feel good about ourselves, and we continue to do things we enjoy because we are passionate about them. No matter how hard you try it is impossible to void yourself of emotion while reaching a decision.
You often find that your heart and mind do not always agree with one another which causes us to be conflicted by our emotions. This conflict can cause struggles which then result in us having a negative view of emotion. We also live in a society where emotional expression discomforts the people around us. For instance, why is it when someone cries they apologize for crying afterwards? Why do we bottle our emotions in order to hide them from other people? It is the fact that emotions make others and not ourselves so uncomfortable that we feel forced to fight against them. It is as if they are dangerous since we are constantly repressing our emotions instead of embracing them.
Furthermore, emotion gives us the means to exist since it compels us to act and make decisions. Without emotion we would not be able to make a single decision since reason cannot replace emotion. It is impossible to discuss emotion separately from humans as it is an integral part of being human. Your emotions do not make you weak. It is in fact the complete opposite. By feeling your emotions for what they are and learning from them you are able to overcome weakness. We often associate emotions with vulnerability and assume that it makes us weak. Being vulnerable has nothing to do with being weak but rather involves taking risks and getting back up when you take a fall.
Amin, I agree with most of what you said in this post. We can indeed be manipulated by other human beings because of our emotions and our emotions do not make us weak. However, I would like to disagree with your second point, the one on why we hide our emotions and keep them locked inside ourselves. I believe that we attempt to do so because we find ourselves in a society in which humans try to repress their feelings since they believe that they cannot think reasonably when influenced by their emotions. We do not feel sorry for putting the people around us in an uncomfortable position. Instead, we feel humiliated since we look around us and see others holding back and realize that we have failed to do so. We have failed to fulfill the expectations that our society has for us nowadays. We, my friend, are ashamed of ourselves. If not, why would we even consider apologizing for crying? It is not because we make others feel uncomfortable. It is because we think that we have failed this society.
ReplyDeleteAmin, I mostly agree with you that emotions help us express ourselves in our lives. It is true that emotions help us make decisions. For instance, when one is in a good mood (which could be an emotion) , that person would most probably stay in a good mood unless struck by another feeling. This could be one way that we could conflicted by our emotions as already mentioned. Moreover, it is true that our emotions could make people uncomfortable. As you said, we should fight our emotions in order to not fell humiliated.Furthermore, I disagree with you when you claimed that without emotion, we would not make a single decision. What I think is that it is reason that could replace emotion. If reason didn't exist, then we would have no emotions since we would not understand anything. Finally, when reading your post, one question came up to my mind, which is: "Why could emotions replace reason and not vice versa?" Your post is very interesting Amin!
ReplyDeleteHave you also considered the lack of emotional portrayal would cause your friends and society as a whole to get a negative image of you. Your ability to not feel and to not show that human side would rise questions into your peers' minds. I would describe emotions as a way to show our human side. In the other I agree with your point on how emotion and logic are not always on the same page. I think reasoning should be used when making decisions rather than leaving it up to emotion which is not always the right way to act.
ReplyDeleteI also think in modern day society gender affects the way you should portray your emotions. A man is expected to be tough and not display emotions like sadness. In my family I grew up surrounded with very strong men, meaning their ability to show a hint of love, sadness, or affection was very rare making me feel like that is the appropriate way to act. But from experience people question why am I not sensitive to portray these emotions and I respond ''because that is how a man should act'' fully knowing that what I am saying is fully controversial.
From Adam: You bring up a good point, Alvaro. In certain tribes in Africa as well as certain cultures globally it may be seen as taboo to show any form of emotion. This is because the expression of emotion is seen as a weakness. But as time passes, it is becoming more socially acceptable to express emotions such as sadness. Often we remind ourselves and others around that it is okay to cry or to feel a certain way; it is of course human nature to have feelings, but why do we still try to hide this from others? Emotions is what sets us apart from other different organisms. With the power that emotions have on us and their capability to dictate our life, why do we not give as much importance to them? As you have said, Amin, emotions have the power to compel us to do great things. Just think about how the world would have been if societies were more accepting of emotions.
ReplyDelete