“Though familiarity may not breed contempt, it takes off the edge of admiration.” (William Hazlitt, essayist 1778-1830)
Farmers breed mules, horticulturists breed gardenias, and brains breed emotions. Feelings are a funny noun if you think about it. You’re experiencing something, and no one can really understand what you’re going through. You are completely isolated in your circumstances, and even if someone is extremely articulate, there is no way to know that whoever they’re talking to really comprehends what’s going on in their head.
This is what mental health providers are trained for. They are taught how to dissect and analyze people’s descriptions in a way that will come across as a delicate blend of empathy and validation. We tend to create our own demons by diagnosing our emotions. We classify our symptoms, go into a panic and convince ourselves that we’re a danger to society. By that time, we are so utterly lost in the labyrinth we so cleverly created that the professional help we seek becomes essential. Instead of letting an emotion breed and multiply, we should ask ourselves why. People should take the time and effort to delve beneath the layers and explore the direction it came from. We have to overlook our pride encrusted egos and ask for advice before it develops into a necessity.
Scrutinization is welcome below.
"Delve beneath the layer"?? I was recently having a discussion with my friend about 'why not just ignore our emotions' can we really repress them or will they "breed and multiply" as you say...
ReplyDeleteits good to see that your not repressing your opinion!
ReplyDeleteI think that ignorance is bliss, it's those "in touch" people who have emotional struggles. The "naive" ones are the ones who are able to brush off a tough situation and move on.
ReplyDeleteI agree its sometimes seems that way - its a weird phenomenon...the more you delve the more the issues
ReplyDeleteHowever, sometimes i think that we are fooling ourselves and by ignoring it we suffer the consequences indirectly :/