My thoughts on emotion.
Entry posted by λngelღмander
821 views
I've often wondered what that feeling is that you have normally, the feeling that isn't really a feeling but a numbness, a lack of feeling, when you're in no particular mood (like I am now) and simply existing, your emotions in complete control and lax. That simple numbness that perhaps should not be described as numbness, for it is not apathy but simple ceasing of the emotional turbulence that is normally associated with being, and instead a smooth coast along the emotional timeline, coasting toward death easily and steadily. And what is the best emotion, perhaps? I would say euphoria, but I'm not talking about a simple euphoria, but a deeper and much quicker version, like that of an extremely pleasant surprise. That disbelief awoken by winning the lottery, those few precious seconds where people jump up and down and scream and cry and yell, the emotions they're feeling at that exact moment have to be the most wonderful emotions one can feel. Or maybe it's the dull, wonderful feeling of companionship, or the feeling of being loved, the moment after a kiss, the taste of victory, though if you break them down, all of those stimuli lead to the same thing at core: Gaining something that was not there before. And ironic as it is, the worst emotions, they have to be the ones when something is lost. I suppose it can be said that emotions are really just about gaining things and losing things. Almost certainly the worst emotion has to be the deep sadness engendered by loss, rejection, or failure. Unlike with happiness, I think the ephemeral shock and terror at bad news isn't as bad as the prolonged agony that follows, the period of time in which the object of sadness can not leave the mind, pervasive, it stops you from sleeping, your every thought invaded, a parasite. It is not as acute as the shock, but the shock that is felt when something terrible happens is too filled with denial to be the worst. One could think about the five stages of grief, as outlined by psychology. In order: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. I don't really agree with this outline, it's a little too rigid to account for different people. I for one would feel denial first, of course, but then would come sadness, then anger, then the rest. The period of pain I am referring to is something that lie between denial and anger, on that scale. I also think that at some point, a person loses the ability to be sad. If your parents die, and your house burns down, and your favorite belongings are all burned up in a fire, I don't think you can get any more sad. Unless of course some of your limbs are amputated, but those are my worst fears, so I suppose that would influence my thought on that. Interesting how human emotions are really centered around the two most basic concepts of human nature, giving and taking. At our cores, altruism drives us. It is evolutionarily advantageous to share, because then someone else will share with you when you're down, and that instinct helps prevent unnecessary death. It's slowly being bred out of us, as the most successful people are the most selfish, in a society not about reciprocation but about simply gathering. I suppose that concludes this blog entry, have a nice day.
Credit to Fenrir for having a deep conversation about emotions with me and sparking my interest in writing this blog entry.
- λngelღмander
-
1
2 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now