What Is The Most Beneficial Emotion? How About The Most Destructive?
For centuries, poets and priests have reflected on the influence of emotion, noting its ability to suddenly take control of thought and behavior. I found a question online today that was quite thought-provoking: "What is the most beneficial emotion? What is the most destructive?" I really enjoy questions that pose a challenge. They're fun to just sit and ponder for a long time, and finding the answer to this one was not easy.
So, let's start with the most destructive. A lot of people would say hate, and greed, but I think everything negative stems from an obvious answer: Fear.
Fear, in that example, seems to me like how demon possession works. You're body is being taken control of and you can't stop it. You're merely watching at that point. An interesting thought. Another thing fear can lead to, on an emotional standpoint, is anger. Like a scared dog backed into a corner; it's going to start biting. People say that anger is the most destructive emotion, but I disagree. Anger is what occurs when you're afraid of failure. You argue your opinions online for fear of being wrong. The bully beats up the nerd for fear of people seeing how ignorant he is. You see? Anger is merely the child of fear. We're like the scared dog backed into a corner that has to bite his way out.
That can lead to very destructive behavior. Let's revisit that demon metaphor again. They say anger clouds the mind, so if fear takes it over and pushes you away from the controls, then it makes sense when people say they couldn't control themselves when they were angry. And what to some of those irritable people say about their unruly behavior? "I'm afraid of what I'll do next time I'm angry." Afraid is the keyword there. Here's another quote, "The only thing we fear is fear itself." Too true. We fear fear because we don't understand it. All we know is that it is never a pleasant feeling. We don't know what fear can lead to, and that's scary.
Okay, enough of the negative stuff. Let's move on to what I think the most beneficial emotion is. What do you think it is? Love, hope, happiness, empathy? Not bad choices, but are you ready for my answer? It's fear! Yes, I believe is both answers. It is the most destructive and beneficial.
The clear way to find this answer is to look at the wording of the question. What is the most beneficial emotion? What is the most advantageous emotion is another way to look at it, and I believe fear is extremely advantageous.
Think about it, yes, fear can be debilitating and haunting, but it is also one of the first emotions we ever felt. Going back to the cavemen in their caves; they stayed inside during the night for fear of what might be waiting for them in the darkness. If they had no fear, they would just waltz out into the cold and be eaten, starve, or something else. Fear is survival. Fear gives us an almost sixth sense in dangerous situations. I think we've all felt it before. That slowing-down of time, sudden awareness of everything around you. You're brain works double-time in those moments to find a plan of escape, or attack. Fight or Flight. Dog in the corner; it's a snapshot decision to either push or punch your way through. Or, just seeing a scary looking dog on the street, fear makes you aware of the danger, and you know to run away to a safer location.
I'm just going to keep back-tracking through this post, is that okay? Well, I'm going to do it anyway. Let's use the spider on the floor example again. When the spider is no longer in your sight, you freeze. But you're not really frozen, are you? Yes, you feel like you can't move, but your mind is free to think, and it does. You will try and find the greatest plan of action to avoid that creepy crawlie. Over the back of the couch, and then sprinting to the kitchen where I can grab a knife, or maybe if I tiptoe carefully the spider won't notice me. These, and a hundred other options shoot through your head in those few short seconds after the spider disappeared. For the more nerdy readers out there (brethren), this is like a lesser spider-sense.
Here's something else about fear that most people aren't aware of; fear leads to courage. People see courageous people (policeman, firefighters, superheros) as the ones with no fear. They face scary things head on, but that's not true at all. They'll all tell you that they're afraid all the time. That's what makes them brave. Bravery is feeling fear, and then facing it. No one is fearless, and if anyone truly was they'd be dead. Because fear is our danger indicator. Heroes are heroes because they are aware of the fear in front of them, and they use that fear to remind them of what they have to do. They have to protect people, and a true hero's biggest fear is not being able to do that, so that fear overcomes the one in front of them.
Do you see the pattern with fear? It's like all emotions make up one big tree, and fear is the trunk that the branches grow from. It's the most primal emotion that all living things have. Even love stems from fear. People go out and find love because of their fear of being alone for the rest of their lives. The fear of being unsocial, or not having any friends. It's in all of us, and there's no escaping it.
Did I make a compelling argument? Does anybody agree with me? Disagree with me? What do you think are the most beneficial and destructive emotions? Leave it in the comments, or message me on social media, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Buh-bye.
So, let's start with the most destructive. A lot of people would say hate, and greed, but I think everything negative stems from an obvious answer: Fear.
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - H.P. Lovecraft.
Fear is humanities - and a lot of animals - oldest emotion. It's what kept the cavemen in their caves at night. When we fear something, we act in different ways and most often than not, destructive. We don't understand something, we gain fear. Fear paralyzes us in our place, and keeps us from living our lives normally. You could be lying on the couch, binge-watching Netflix, and when you get ready to grab some popcorn you see a spider on the ground. You freeze, you stare, you wait until it makes a move. You reach for the remote and reel back to swing the killing blow, but then the spider scurries underneath the couch. You raise your feet to the couch just to be safe. Your stomach growls, but you're afraid to get off the couch because fear has greatly exaggerated your situation. That is how fear is destructive. It takes control of your life and stops it dead in its tracks, whether you want to or not.Fear, in that example, seems to me like how demon possession works. You're body is being taken control of and you can't stop it. You're merely watching at that point. An interesting thought. Another thing fear can lead to, on an emotional standpoint, is anger. Like a scared dog backed into a corner; it's going to start biting. People say that anger is the most destructive emotion, but I disagree. Anger is what occurs when you're afraid of failure. You argue your opinions online for fear of being wrong. The bully beats up the nerd for fear of people seeing how ignorant he is. You see? Anger is merely the child of fear. We're like the scared dog backed into a corner that has to bite his way out.
That can lead to very destructive behavior. Let's revisit that demon metaphor again. They say anger clouds the mind, so if fear takes it over and pushes you away from the controls, then it makes sense when people say they couldn't control themselves when they were angry. And what to some of those irritable people say about their unruly behavior? "I'm afraid of what I'll do next time I'm angry." Afraid is the keyword there. Here's another quote, "The only thing we fear is fear itself." Too true. We fear fear because we don't understand it. All we know is that it is never a pleasant feeling. We don't know what fear can lead to, and that's scary.
Okay, enough of the negative stuff. Let's move on to what I think the most beneficial emotion is. What do you think it is? Love, hope, happiness, empathy? Not bad choices, but are you ready for my answer? It's fear! Yes, I believe is both answers. It is the most destructive and beneficial.
The clear way to find this answer is to look at the wording of the question. What is the most beneficial emotion? What is the most advantageous emotion is another way to look at it, and I believe fear is extremely advantageous.
Think about it, yes, fear can be debilitating and haunting, but it is also one of the first emotions we ever felt. Going back to the cavemen in their caves; they stayed inside during the night for fear of what might be waiting for them in the darkness. If they had no fear, they would just waltz out into the cold and be eaten, starve, or something else. Fear is survival. Fear gives us an almost sixth sense in dangerous situations. I think we've all felt it before. That slowing-down of time, sudden awareness of everything around you. You're brain works double-time in those moments to find a plan of escape, or attack. Fight or Flight. Dog in the corner; it's a snapshot decision to either push or punch your way through. Or, just seeing a scary looking dog on the street, fear makes you aware of the danger, and you know to run away to a safer location.
I'm just going to keep back-tracking through this post, is that okay? Well, I'm going to do it anyway. Let's use the spider on the floor example again. When the spider is no longer in your sight, you freeze. But you're not really frozen, are you? Yes, you feel like you can't move, but your mind is free to think, and it does. You will try and find the greatest plan of action to avoid that creepy crawlie. Over the back of the couch, and then sprinting to the kitchen where I can grab a knife, or maybe if I tiptoe carefully the spider won't notice me. These, and a hundred other options shoot through your head in those few short seconds after the spider disappeared. For the more nerdy readers out there (brethren), this is like a lesser spider-sense.
Here's something else about fear that most people aren't aware of; fear leads to courage. People see courageous people (policeman, firefighters, superheros) as the ones with no fear. They face scary things head on, but that's not true at all. They'll all tell you that they're afraid all the time. That's what makes them brave. Bravery is feeling fear, and then facing it. No one is fearless, and if anyone truly was they'd be dead. Because fear is our danger indicator. Heroes are heroes because they are aware of the fear in front of them, and they use that fear to remind them of what they have to do. They have to protect people, and a true hero's biggest fear is not being able to do that, so that fear overcomes the one in front of them.
Do you see the pattern with fear? It's like all emotions make up one big tree, and fear is the trunk that the branches grow from. It's the most primal emotion that all living things have. Even love stems from fear. People go out and find love because of their fear of being alone for the rest of their lives. The fear of being unsocial, or not having any friends. It's in all of us, and there's no escaping it.
Did I make a compelling argument? Does anybody agree with me? Disagree with me? What do you think are the most beneficial and destructive emotions? Leave it in the comments, or message me on social media, and I'll see you tomorrow.
Buh-bye.
Comments
Post a Comment