We Are All Inherently Emotional — So Why Do We Ignore That?

Emotion is something that drives us all. From the reasons we get out of bed every morning, to what we do for a living. Emotion is there, and it is haunting and helping at the same time.

But without emotion, we the human race, would not be where we are today. So why? I ask you, why do we shame people for exercising their natural responses to situations? Seriously, why do we put such a burden on men to be stoic, and on women to be so compassionate? Is it really how things are meant to be? I doubt that.

It doesn’t make any sense to me at all, why we put these pressures on male and female alike. Emotions play a huge role in our lives, so why are we so quick to throw them away like yesterday’s news? I cannot answer that, but what I can do is try to give a point of view to change some minds about how we view emotions in general. People should be able to feel if you ask me, and express that feeling as they see fit. (Unless, of course, they feel like they want to kill a bunch of people, in that case, f**k how they feel.)

In our society, it is bad to feel, it is unproductive to “let emotions get in the way,” and it is even harmful to let our emotions be known. It goes for males and for females too. Men are expected to be emotionless, except for anger, men can be full of rage, and society as a whole doesn’t see a thing wrong with that. In fact, men are even encouraged to be vengeful, full of rage, and ready for battle in a sense. And us women? It is commonplace that women feel way too much. We feel a certain way about this, and that, and that’s all we do is feel, and maybe we should “think” every once in a while. The gender roles are deep, and unflinching and they are ingrained in our minds, so much that we have been conditioned to believe this load of crap.

Societal views of emotion, on men, on women, on the mentally ill are completely farfetched, and they need to be bent. It is so illogical to deny the integral part that emotions play in our survival on this planet. It is so unrealistic to expect people not to feel; it is what we do, and to deny that is ignorance at its finest. The idea that we need to hide our emotions, and deal with them on our own in secrecy is preposterous, because without emotions, a lot would be missing from life.

If it weren’t for emotional responses, we would have no flight vs. fight. How do you think our bodies would retort then?

If it weren’t for love and lust — or the illusion of love or lust — we would not feel a need to procreate.

If it weren’t for fear — or lack thereof — we wouldn’t know when to flee, and when to stay the course. And in a more modern way — because, really, we are not fighting for our lives so much anymore — if it weren’t for fear, we would be lacking a key driving force in our being.

If it weren’t for happiness, we would have nothing to pursue, and we would be on an endless journey to nothingness.

If it weren’t for sadness, we would not value happiness so much.

If it weren’t for anger, maybe the world would be a better place. But, if you believe in balance, there must be anger for there to be joy.

If it weren’t for jealousy — many relationships would actually work out.

Emotions are NOT something to be made fun of.

Emotions are NOT to be taken lightly.

Emotions are NOT a means to an end.

Emotions are NOT funny.

Emotions are NOT something to ignore, and pretend like they don’t matter.

Emotions to me, are a set of tools that we were given — by whom, I do not know — to deal with and analyze life as it comes, and goes.

Emotions to me, are strong, and powerful, and full of meaning and purpose.

Emotions to me are evolution.

Emotions to me are a window into the soul, and a door into the psyche. Letting us tell each other things that are so very hard to understand.

Emotions are a part of us all, and we should treat them like the invaluable tools they are, not like a curse that has been set upon us.

For with emotions, we can actually feel, so why ignore that pleasure?