Emotions are such an essential part of us, yet they change a thousand times a day.
On one end of the spectrum, they are thought of as being a hindrance to our personal growth.
On the other end, they are thought to be essential to increased self-awareness and even spiritual insight.
EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS
Many believe emotions originate from thought. But while some thoughts are clear and obvious to us, many of our thoughts and reactions are largely subconscious.
And let’s face it, even with years of self-exploration you many never really know
why you certain emotions come up in different situations.
EMOTIONS AS DIVINE
Ken Wilber talks about the danger in believing emotions provide us with some divine meaning.
According to Wilber, believing that they carry some divine meaning, whether it be personal or universal, could stem from lumping ALL THINGS IRRATIONAL (both childish and transcendent) into the same category.
This is dangerous because, when taken to the extreme, we may move towards anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism thinking our emotions transcend all that.
Sometimes emotions are childish. Let’s face the facts.
EMOTIONS AND CA– USE
How we interpret those emotions can be completely wrong as well.
We can believe it is something either INSIDE or OUTSIDE of ourselves that have created a negative emotion.
Then we judge that experience as negative and either blame ourselves or something outside of ourselves when, really, it is the interaction between self and the environment that creates thoughts and situations and thus the emotions.
EMOTIONS AND INTUITION
When we are not used to stepping back and observing our emotions as they happen, we can have trouble distinguishing them from our intuition.
A lot of the time, it is actually an immense fear that will steer someone toward a decision, but they will insist they can “feel” it is the right thing to do.
Intuition is not emotionally charged. It is more neutral and the emotional confirmation of it is felt through your whole mind, body, and soul.
Strong emotions, like fear, result from past hurts, fears, and when we are trying to protect our ego or our sense of self.
Both are irrational, but VERY different.
So how can emotions help us?
I believe they provide us with clues about how we see the world, how we see ourselves, our physical state, and our spiritual state.
How should we be cautious?
In how we interpret them. Emotions can be truth on some level, but they can also lie to us.
Do you tend to look within to find the causes of your emotions, or in your relationships and environment?
There is no right or wrong place to look, but if you tend to always try to find the reason within, maybe it’s time to explore how your culture, society, family, circumstances have led to certain reactions and vice versa.
What role do you think emotions have in personal growth and exploration?