Monday, January 1, 2007
Emotions
Emotions......The greatest weakness and greatest strength of humans......Emotions are, in a certain way, what sets us apart as creatures, because we mostly use them to tell right from wrong, and to control pure instinct. However, misuse of emotions can result in things such as religion, unnecessary overattachment, and illogical behaviour. The problem, as I personally see it, is that people try to satisfy their immediate needs without further consideration. How different would our world be if each of us allowed himself/herself to ignore some personal needs so that other, higher needs may be satisfied?
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3 comments:
I hope it were that simple. The higher good is indeed elusive. I think humans are genetically social; we live in communities and when it's not too much hassle we help others around us (eg giving directions to strangers). But for an individual to put the interests of society before her own, that's asking too much.
I don't think putting all the interests of others before your own is the solution, because that will leave almost everyone unhappy and dissatisfied. The secret is in knowing what interests are more important to satisfy at any given time. There's no universal law for this and I don't support any of the extremes. Afterall, how you prioritize is one of the things that define who you are as a person.
"The greatest weakness and the greatest strength", I like the way you put it, and it strikes as true. "I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them." (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray)
We often make the mistake of simply reacting to our emotions instead of manipulating them. It's about learning to give up what you want now for what you want eventually, and that's the hard part.
The world really would be different if we all took that extra mile!
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