Today, I was at a restaurant with my family. I was surrounded by people chowing down on meat, and listened to a guy one table across brag about treating people like shit
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My brother and I have a running debate about anger and other emotions we think "wrong." I have the more sensible concept that all emotions have a purpose, otherwise they wouldn't exist. And that purpose is not only to tempt and annoy us! Anger prompts action. If no one had anger, we'd still have every injustice in the world! It's not about what you feel, it's about what you do with those feelings. One soul might take its anger out on an innocent, another might let it drive them to a cure for cancer!
I agree, emotions can be useful in moving a person to do things.
However, I take that thought a step further. Whether emotions are useful in some pragmatic way or not, they are an experience. And I've found that nothing enriches a life more than diversity of experience.
Think about the sadness that follows a personal loss, for example. There's nothing pragmatic about having low morale and feeling like shit. If anything, you become less productive. But most people want to feel sad when (for example) a family member dies, or when a friend leaves for a very long time. Think: Would you take a magic pill that made you feel just fine about losing friends and family?
Sadness adds meaning and depth to our lives. It's worth feeling, even if I can't explain exactly why. I wouldn't read a book with emotional shallowness--why would I live my life that way?
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However, I take that thought a step further. Whether emotions are useful in some pragmatic way or not, they are an experience. And I've found that nothing enriches a life more than diversity of experience.
Think about the sadness that follows a personal loss, for example. There's nothing pragmatic about having low morale and feeling like shit. If anything, you become less productive. But most people want to feel sad when (for example) a family member dies, or when a friend leaves for a very long time. Think: Would you take a magic pill that made you feel just fine about losing friends and family?
Sadness adds meaning and depth to our lives. It's worth feeling, even if I can't explain exactly why. I wouldn't read a book with emotional shallowness--why would I live my life that way?
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