Emotions

Taken from another of my posts on a different website:

The human being has really quite an inefficient design, when you think about it. Most of us know that emotion is a powerful weapon when used correctly, however it is rare that I actually meet a person with the talent to control his own mind. People get red hot with anger or horridly depressed, and we let these emotions control who we are rather than wielding them to suit our own gain. I just can't understand when people around me get so angry they can't control themselves, there is no advantage and they actually harm themselves.

ya, but the trouble with emotions is they are not a logical response!

I agree. Depression, along with mayn other traits or emotions, are detrimental to a human beings' health and wellbeing. However, the emotions run through us at vaired times and there is nothing that can be done about it - at least not without medical help. I, for example, often find myself feeling incredibly depressed, and there is nothing that can be done about no matter how hard I try to forget it or not think about it.

Hmm . . . could it be that peer (society) pressure does not allow you to feel good about yourself because of what it values, having failed it measure up to their desires?

As stupid as it sounds sociaty can be largly blamed for these now out of control emotions. I dont mean this sociaty , i mean from the very 1st sociaty or group of peaple...
You see , when we 1st began to hunt or gather or do any necesay deeds to live , we would largly have been alone , or with family. If i had gone to pick an apple of one of many trees and a bigger person came to me to take if off me, i would have evaluated whether or not it would be easier to fight for it back, or simply go collect another apple. There was no concept of loosing face or pride, simply 'im hungry , how is it best to feed my self?' now days , this is not the case for most people. obviously its not this simple, but im sure you grasp the basic primciple. Sociaty makes us compare ourselves to each other over things that arnt necesay to live, and due to this emotions go out of our control, as outside influences ( usualy largly irrelivant) take over.

I'm with you Quoteless so I'm not downing what you said.
I tried doing some volunteer work. Ya, we know those old saying but I found that like old wifes' tales, they have some merit. I started thinking about it & realized that I did feel goood about the work I had done. It sense of purpose I guess you could say from the doing.
I had sense a lose of personal esteem in children as they are so tramatized by high expectations & the lack of parental acceptance (usually to busy!) As we grow older we become the victimizer, being caught up in the same rat race which now seems to be what we were breed for, this is the good life they seek? Run as hard as ya can just can't seem to feel right as if something was missing? Like taking time to live your life?

I doubt that's true quoteless.
That's too Rousseau, IMO, pride is a male thing strongly linked to sex.
How do you make a man seem like a good mate? Easy, you make sure he's dead afraid of looking weak and dead afraid of losing.
That's pride.

Besides there was never a man without society. Even if it was just bands of a few dozen people, its still there.

People like to think man isn't the source of his own problems. That we can perhaps blame society, or environment or whatnot. Man's faults are just that, his own faults.

Man like all animals (beast) form relationships & therefore societies.
(pecking order).

I've tried to use my emotions to motivate me and my mind to guide me. Nowadays, there are few things that cause me to react impulsively or impetuously. However, I've made a mistake and suppressed my emotions in favor of my thougts.

Balance between thought and emotion is indeed difficult. I would be more than happy to hear from someone who was able to come close to a balance.

to control both these things well, one must learn some more. infact keep learning about pyschological stuff, then you will understand more and more. then you can appl your real life what you have learn and leverage it to your advantage.

you will be hitting obstacles as you try to practice all these knowledge but in the long run, as you keep learning and practicing, you will become better and better.

i find that i am able to control most of my emotions nowadays and break barriers set by the society. but the more i grow, the more i realise that there is many things ahead of me for me to learn. it is scary sometimes to see how many things there are ahead.. but no choice, i can only do my best and keep learning. i belive i have surassed many people, but there is nothing to be proud of.

Hey all, first I would like to say that this is my first time actually looking at this kind of stuff online, I have a friend, who's brother is buddhist, and I find it VERY interesting to listen to his take on life, his beliefs, and just everything in general. I've always been interested in learning about life, and emotions, and I have a recent experience with some very real, and very strong human emotions.

My girlfriend of 2 years cheated on me last week, with a friend of mine. No doubt, this enraged me, I was FURIOUS, I was so mad I was shaking, I was ready to kill, but, of course I didnt...I went home, and I thought. I thought a LOT, about how I was feeling, why I was feeling that way, the feelings I had for this girl, and I came to a conclusion, you all probably already know this, but im new to this whole "philosophy" scene, and I realized that anger was an extension of sadness, when I thought about it, of course I was mad, but I was more upset and hurt then I was mad. I dont know, way to strong of emotions that I have ever felt, and am still feeling. Im trying to control them, but man, they are crazy.

It is possible, probable, that emotional responces to environmental stimuli have been, and will continue to be, necessary to the survival of the organism and subsequently the species. Without instinctive emotional responces early man (homo erectus, cro magnon) would have been entirely unprepared to react to danger, sexual intrest, etc. While it is true that society has changed faster than the human organism has been able to keep up with evolutionarily, the inherent emotional responce therein are still validand can be cultivated. The task has just become that much more difficult.

I wholely agree with wholly. Being impulsive is a defense mechanism, but it takes a more disciplined person to know when to use it.

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and I realized that anger was an extension of sadness, when I thought about it, of course I was mad, but I was more upset and hurt then I was mad. I dont know, way to strong of emotions that I have ever felt, and am still feeling. Im trying to control them, but man, they are crazy.

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Just wondering how you reflect upon these feelings now?

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While it is true that society has changed faster than the human organism has been able to keep up with evolutionarily, the inherent emotional responce therein are still validand can be cultivated. The task has just become that much more difficult.

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Yes a major concern about our fast paced society & those societies which we try to force to accept our values. We have a hard time dealing with rate of our change then how much more so for those of more primitive systems which we seek to bring into the 21st Century.

I believe the key to inner peace and broadening the mind's horizons lie in removing ones emotions. The problem with humans is that we rely too greatly on emotions and forget our instincts which have evolved over many millions of years and enabled us to survive. Instincts are far stronger, logical and rational then mere emotions.