I think emotion and it's expression is a lot like good fun. There's a time and a place for it, and there's a time and a place it must be set aside.
It's normal and healthy to express a whole range of emotions and if you try to fully ignore them you're going to be ultimately harming yourself. Emotions come in a wide range, some of them feel more like vice, some of them might feel more virtuous, but they are all part of you.
In the same way that our nerve endings deliver messages to our brain to let us know about the status of our body, whether that be in good ways or in bad ways, our emotions are delivering messages to our consciousness to let us know about the status of our psyche, whether that being good ways or in bad ways.
In western civilization we've come to rely heavily on antidepressants, which as far as I can tell are basically just a volume control for your emotions. If you take enough antidepressants you won't feel anything at all. However, in the same way that you didn't take enough opium that you can't feel your broken leg but the damage has still been done to your leg and if you try to walk on it you're going to permanently damage it, if you take enough antidepressants not to feel any emotions and you have a broken psyche, you can still apply pressure to it but you're going to permanently damage it.
It's also very important for the relationships with people around you that you express your emotions. A child who grows up never seeing their father express love will be broken. A marriage where anger or discontent is never expressed me look good on the surface but will ultimately snap because fights that needed to happen will never happen.
On the other hand, there are many times in our lives where we need to set aside our emotions, just as there are times where we have to set aside physical discomfort.
Anyone who needs to go out and clear the driveway after a snowstorm knows that it is extremely unpleasant being outside in the cold blowing snow, but if you wait until it's warm out you'll never be able to use your driveway again.
There are a lot of times where you're feeling anxious, scared, angry, hateful, and those dark feelings can cripple you. A lot of those cases though, you have to set that aside because there's work to be done. Someday your parents are going to die, and there's a good chance you will have to step up and arrange their funeral. You cannot just sleep forever, the body needs to be laid to rest whether you're sad or not. Sometimes it is an emergency, and somebody needs to do something or things are going to get way worse and you can't just sit there wallowing in your negative emotions. Still other times, you are just in a time or place or both where things are not perfect and there's nothing you can do about it but make it through the other side. There's just no point in wallowing in it. And sometimes the pain is overwhelming, and you just need to figure out how to make it a little while until it wanes a little.
You can be overwhelmed by positive emotions as well, and while it's a lot more pleasant, life still goes on and you need to make sure you keep your head when it's time to get to work.
All of this in my view is similar to having fun and playing. Without having fun and playing and doing things you enjoy now and again life is empty and painful, but sometimes it's time to buckle down and just get some work done, and people who can't handle doing both at appropriate times are going to be worse off by far than people who can do both at appropriate times.
It's normal and healthy to express a whole range of emotions and if you try to fully ignore them you're going to be ultimately harming yourself. Emotions come in a wide range, some of them feel more like vice, some of them might feel more virtuous, but they are all part of you.
In the same way that our nerve endings deliver messages to our brain to let us know about the status of our body, whether that be in good ways or in bad ways, our emotions are delivering messages to our consciousness to let us know about the status of our psyche, whether that being good ways or in bad ways.
In western civilization we've come to rely heavily on antidepressants, which as far as I can tell are basically just a volume control for your emotions. If you take enough antidepressants you won't feel anything at all. However, in the same way that you didn't take enough opium that you can't feel your broken leg but the damage has still been done to your leg and if you try to walk on it you're going to permanently damage it, if you take enough antidepressants not to feel any emotions and you have a broken psyche, you can still apply pressure to it but you're going to permanently damage it.
It's also very important for the relationships with people around you that you express your emotions. A child who grows up never seeing their father express love will be broken. A marriage where anger or discontent is never expressed me look good on the surface but will ultimately snap because fights that needed to happen will never happen.
On the other hand, there are many times in our lives where we need to set aside our emotions, just as there are times where we have to set aside physical discomfort.
Anyone who needs to go out and clear the driveway after a snowstorm knows that it is extremely unpleasant being outside in the cold blowing snow, but if you wait until it's warm out you'll never be able to use your driveway again.
There are a lot of times where you're feeling anxious, scared, angry, hateful, and those dark feelings can cripple you. A lot of those cases though, you have to set that aside because there's work to be done. Someday your parents are going to die, and there's a good chance you will have to step up and arrange their funeral. You cannot just sleep forever, the body needs to be laid to rest whether you're sad or not. Sometimes it is an emergency, and somebody needs to do something or things are going to get way worse and you can't just sit there wallowing in your negative emotions. Still other times, you are just in a time or place or both where things are not perfect and there's nothing you can do about it but make it through the other side. There's just no point in wallowing in it. And sometimes the pain is overwhelming, and you just need to figure out how to make it a little while until it wanes a little.
You can be overwhelmed by positive emotions as well, and while it's a lot more pleasant, life still goes on and you need to make sure you keep your head when it's time to get to work.
All of this in my view is similar to having fun and playing. Without having fun and playing and doing things you enjoy now and again life is empty and painful, but sometimes it's time to buckle down and just get some work done, and people who can't handle doing both at appropriate times are going to be worse off by far than people who can do both at appropriate times.
