Emotions

I stumbled across an interesting article the other day. It was actually a piece written by the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board on AI’s logic being no substitute for human emotion.

And it made me think about emotions as part of the human experience. To that end, I’d extend the thinking to say that logic, in general, is no substitute for human emotion. Things like joy, love, anger, sadness, frustration, and elation are all essential parts of what it is to be human.

I’m sure we’ve all heard comments like this throughout our lives: “That’s nothing to cry about.” “Are you still sad about that?” “Snap out of it.” “Suck it up and move on.” Basically, we’re being told to stuff our emotions and get on with life. Nearly every kid has experienced this (“he’s a crybaby”). And nearly every adult has experienced this (“she’s so emotional”). And, of course, there’s an element of guilt associated with feeling emotions when we’re told to push them aside. We begin to wonder if we’re overreacting.

But here’s what I’ve learned about emotions over the course of my lifetime. They are very real. They are very powerful. They are very necessary. And nothing can replace them. Not logic. Not being told to shut them down. Not pretending they don’t exist. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we express and embrace our emotions enough.

If we feel angry about something, feel angry without guilt. If we feel joyful about something, feel joyful without guilt. If we feel sad about something, feel sad without guilt. If we feel frustrated by something, feel frustrated without guilt. If we feel excited about something, feel excited without guilt. Feel how you need to feel. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

And here’s where emotions can open the door to human growth and change. For example, if we’re given the freedom to feel angry about something (and acknowledge that anger), we can then process that anger and come up with a plan to move forward. If we’re given the freedom to feel sad about something (and acknowledge that sadness), we can then process that sadness and come up with a plan to move forward. And so on.

Emotions are more than just bursts of feelings. They are also regulators and guides that, in partnership with logic, can help us make the most informed decisions about what is best and most positive for us. For example, are you angry and frustrated at your kid for something stupid they did? That’s perfectly fine. Feel angry and frustrated. Then figure out what made you angry and frustrated so you can have a positive conversation with your kid (instead of just yelling at them in the moment).  

I suspect you’re feeling emotional after reading this. 😀 

Also, Happy Birthday to a certain reader. You know who you are! 😂 

Until next week.

Andy

(All written content created the old-fashioned way.)