Emotions: A Conundrum by Shishir Lakhani
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Emotions – A Conundrum
..”Jenny ….Jenny…
Get her off me …. Your daughter just spilled hot coffee all over me
For goodness sake”…
‘Dad calm down … that’s your granddaughter
…she is only 3…. and you 60
…..Besides…. it was only pretend coffee!'
Loving chuckle
…. The roller coaster of emotions …….
From Fear & anger… to joy and love …Sound Familiar?
The storm and the dance of the leaf
A leaf doesn’t lie still in a storm …it dances
It is said … Humans feel … way before we reason
Some Emotions like fear …are survival based
For protection from danger
… Flight OR Fight ….Fancy names...
… … An evolutionary trait
Other emotions … are based on joy and love
Did you know???…
We mirror the feelings of the other – Resonating
Empathizing with their …joy ….OR
….and of course ….their pain/ grief
Mom crying … made me cry
Our compassion in action… dancing in the storm.
Such positive emotions are also hardwired beyond our control
But we humans have …. Superior intelligence
Rational thought … that allow us to
Manage and control our emotions.
Be they … positive or negative
Hence Emotions – are a conundrum
Two sides to the coin … like Dr. Jekyll …Mr. Hyde
Indeed we each seem to have a …doppelganger right within us
Positive emotions like humor bring us joy and happiness
But then like the storm… arrives Mr Hyde
Our negative counterpart
When you watch news … what draws you?
What do we seek out?
A tragedy… A killing … a scam ….
Of course, all the bad news
Profiteers understand that well
So all forms of Media ….picks out bad news
Hypes it
…polishes it,
….exaggerates it
….and promotes it
They call it ‘if it bleeds it leads’
Heightening our negative emotions
Leading to
Anxiety …irritability… worries… ill feelings
Wow! …The storms of our own Emotions
… weaponized against us
In world of Politics ….to win our votes
They first have to win your hearts
…because that’s where emotions reside
Emotional Manipulations are used on us
…. and we are certainly not beyond manipulating others
Damaging and souring our Relationships
In day to day life ….We can become too competitive
Needing to be superior … jealousies arise
… Thirst for revenge … a rapid reaction
Triggering anger and hatred
Forgiveness ……so easily Forgotten
Gandhi quote eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
Negative emotions and behaviors cause much stress
…I apologize … I meant distress
We raise our pulse …our pressure
Damaging ourselves … Mind body and soul
….Hurting us and …those around us
Buddha quote hurling a piece of burning coal burns you first
However I have much good news to share
… about the emotional conundrum
A leaf certainly doesn’t lie still in a storm … it dances
With our superior intellect
But we can adjust …our comebacks….
From reacting to responding.
Know Thyself said Plato
Feel right ….
Think right and …Act right
…..All for the right reasons
We should be grateful
Emotions make us humans…. who we are
Endowed with awareness and Intelligence
We can …Manage our stress
We can …calm our nerves and find our peace
A walk in the park … exercise …some deep breathing
In accompaniment of
…. Fulfilling Friends who Feed our Flourishment ….
Be the master of your thoughts – Dr Jekyl
NOT a victim of your thoughts – Mr Hyde
Wisdom lies in our ability to see our own contradictions
Harness and tame those internal warring factions
… that conundrum of emotions
Remember…
Your Mind can be your worst enemy (the storm)
Or …. your best friend (that dancing leaf)
Make it your friend ….. or …. Make it your foe
…. It’s all up to you
My dear friends