In an interview recently on The C-Realm podcast, one of the guests took an interesting point of view on emotions, thinking particularly of negative emotions.
His began from the premise that emotions are a sort of signpost. They tell us something, but there are two problematic ways that we sometimes deal with them: ignoring or repressing them on the one hand and becoming too attached or wallowing in them on the other.
What follows from that is that we should take our emotions seriously for what we can learn from them, but then we have to move on.
That said, I think there's still a thing or two to be said about what sorts of things emotions can signal, but as I need to get to bed AND I'm typing this on my iPod (computer's in my office), I'll leave those musings for another time, though you, dear reader, are welcome to comment as you see fit.
The "too attached or wallowing" side I have a harder time understanding. It seems to me that when you can tell that the feelings are already past, or that you can't quite live in them anymore, that you're grasping... which is then an invitation to look at a new set of feelings and thoughts as to why you're grasping.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people are so afraid of wallowing that they don't know how to sit long enough to really listen to their feelings. Long enough to identify them, long enough to name a trigger or reason for them, is not always long enough to listen to them. Sometimes it takes a lot of sitting. More than one sitting. Coming and going.
It seems to be more about openness, mindfulness, and reflection, and less about grasping or pushing.
I thought, when I was younger, that "reality" was defined by rational understanding, and proper appreciation of material objects. It took a number of years to understand that reality is multi-layered, that emotions and spirituality are as much a part of the real world as thought and things. To truly understand, all must be taken into account. How to sart? Breathe....
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