Emotions The Most Useless Part of Us

[Bobtoad777]

I begin to think more and more that Mr. Spock of the original Star Trek series as well as his fellow Vulcans had hit the nail on the when they had psotulated the theory that emotions are to be the downfall of society. If there were no emotions there would be no hurt. An Examination of a few of the worse emotions:

Love => Probably the most dangerous of all the emotions. When in love one opens themselves to a susceptability of attack in the most vulnerable area of ones physkey{sp?}. In Love one opens themselve for pain and heartache when the receptor{sp?} of that love rejects or ingores the silent pleas of affection. Love only gives of itself, eith the expectation of reciprication in kind.

Hate => Hate has got to be at a tie or a second close to Love for being one of the worst emotions. Hate comes in and kicks you when you are already down. Hate doesnt rationalize the damage that it does. Hate thinks only of itself. Hate burns brighter and hotter when reciprication of itself is recieved.

Jealousy => Jealousy turns Love to Hate. Jealousy is an untrusting heart that fears the lack of reciprication of Love that it feels it should have.

These are just a few of the emotions one could go on and feel free to do so if this so interests you. Society would be a much more better and effective process if Emotions could be bottled and hidden away in some dark reccessed locked thier with the key broken and destroyed. Without Emotion there would not be one race, religion, color, lifestlye that would be better or worse than the other, we all be equal. Our society would soon flourish, knowledge would grow exponentially. Technology would be tenfold, one hundredfold increased. Without Emotion there would be much more contentment and worldy growth.

 

[Patryn]

You are truly fucked in the head. Just because you're insecure and grave attention, doesn't mean we're all wrong. What about drive and ambition? Or even frustration and discontent...that's what makes a society and an individual grow.

 

[CreamyLady]

Oh, balls.

Without emotions we'd all just be eating, breathing machines. I, for one, am not about to exchange my perfectly imperfect brain for a microprocessor.

When we hurt, we learn empathy, and how not to hurt others. When we feel jealousy, we have a chance to know how much someone means to us -- and how best to show our love.

When we feel hatred, we know just how much someone, or something, has hurt us -- and we can use that knowledge to get over it.

Count me out of a mechanistic future. I want to be an imperfect, feeling, human being.

 

[Ambrosious]

I have always believed that jealousy was a form of self-hatred or low self esteem. It kicks in when you are afraid that you're partner will find someone better than you. Even if my wife has sex with another, I have NO jealousy. She ain't gonna find anyone better. hehe

That said, I think that emotions do serve a purpose, however messed up that purpose is.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Without emotion we would be no better than the computers we type at. We wouldn't have a flourishing society, we'd have a cold, empty place with none of the vitality to keep it going.

You forgot an emotion. You forgot pain. We have emotional pain for a reason Bob, its so we can grow as human beings, emotional pain is what makes us mature. If we let it, it can stunt us, but if we accept it for what it is, a lesson on life's long road, then eventually we get past it and become a better human being for it.

You cannot empathize with someone else, you can't feel their pain, you can't emotionally bond with someone else if you haven't felt pain yourself.

You just had a very nasty and very public dose of emotional pain, and its not something easily coped with privately, let alone with the whole Board watching you do it. You have a choice to make here Bob, and you're the only one who can make this choice. You can either let the pain stunt you, curl up in your shell and say its not worth it, or you can learn from it, grow from it, and move on. Its your choice now, if you are going to be a man or become a turtle.

Like Drill Sergeant Green always says, Pain will make you think. Believe it or not, pain will help you grow, if you let it teach you your humanity and the beauty in your emotions.

Just ask any garderner who clips his roses back so the plant will grow thicker and stronger and produce more and more beautiful blooms later on.

Don't give up, their is beauty and strength in the struggle to find the humanity in ourselves. Learn something Bob, its a precious gift, the ability to learn from our pain, don't waste it.

 

[Bobtoad777]

Just because you're insecure and grave attention

Craving{not graving} attention is an emotioanl need.

that's what makes a society and an individual grow.

The best society growth has been when the will of the people were broken and forced to work and advance.

Without emotions we'd all just be eating, breathing machines

Machines that would propel into the outerlimits of what the species is capable of.

When we hurt, we learn empathy, and how not to hurt others

Never in the history of our species has empathy worked to that end.

That said, I think that emotions do serve a purpose, however messed up that purpose is.

The purpose to hinder our forward momentum{sp?} of what could be?

 

[Purple Haze]

Please lock me away,
And don't allow the day,
Here inside where I hide,
With my loneliness,

I don't care what they say,
I won't stay in a world without love,

Lennon McCartney

 

[Bobtoad777]

You cannot empathize with someone else, you can't feel their pain, you can't emotionally bond with someone else if you haven't felt pain yourself.

Like Drill Sergeant Green always says, Pain will make you think. Believe it or not, pain will help you grow, if you let it teach you your humanity and the beauty in your emotions.

Don't give up, their is beauty and strength in the struggle to find the humanity in ourselves. Learn something Bob, its a precious gift, the ability to learn from our pain, don't waste it.

Pain is the root result of all emotion. Love is pain yet to be, Hate is pain that is present. All emotion is pain. If there is something other than pain and suffering I would surely enjoy a chance to peruse{sp?} it and evaluate it. 25 years have I lived and nothing but various levels and lessons of pain. In Childhood, is pain, in Adolencense{sp?},is pain. In adulthood, is pain. Joy, happiness, pleasure is merely a mask of pain. Joy,happinees and pleasure are to pain what medicine is to sickness just merely a covering of the symptoms until it flares up again in another area. Pain is always there no matter what you do, how hard you run, how well you perform, how good you hide. I,for one am sick of pain and life would be painless when emotionless. Painless society would be procductive, because pain slows production, reduces spirit, inhibits progress.

 

[Gus]

Boy are you wrong, Todd

I can feel you hurting and I see what it is that's driving you to write all this stuff BUT, if it was just as you see it right now, many of us would simply kill ourselves.

You see it your way now, others see the opposite. They are not in your situation. Your views and theirs will change in other circumstances.

It is our emotions that drive us and always has.

I have no intention of writing a long post to try and prove it to you - you'd take no notice at this time. Just remember the 'comfort' that is handed out in circumstances like this. Time heals. It sounds a bit 'twee' but almost everyone can find a time in their lives when it applied.

 

[teresafannin]

The day I lose my capacity to feel emotions is the day I will die. No one said life was easy, I know that better than anyone after the last year. I loved my son above anyone else in the world. I will feel the hurt of losing him every day of my life. But knowing that I can tell his story & possibly help other people gives me a feeling of peace & the hope that his death wasn't in vain. I can sit with another mother who has lost a child & cry with her, hold her hand & help her face the future. If a society of robots was the answer to all problems, I think we would already be there. I really think the best thing you could do, bobtoad, is to turn off the computer, get out of the house & experience the world. I could spend the rest of my life playing the "poor pitiful me" game, but what would it accomplish? I don't know anyone who has had an easy life, but I know many people who have taken the pain, sadness & other emotions of life & made a difference in the lives of others. I speak to kids who are at risk of dropping out of HS. Until my son transferred to an alternative school, he could have cared less about graduation. The last 6 months of his life, he blossomed into the most amazing young man. He worked so hard that he would have graduated 6 months early. He wasn't perfect, had had a minor run-in with the law, but got his act together. He realized how important education was & was always telling his friends that they should get it together, get their diploma & make something of themselves. I have lost count of the number of kids who have told me that hearing about JM has inspired them to graduate, set goals & make something of their lives. I wouldn't wish what happened to us to happen to anyone, but I get so sick of people whining that their lives are so bad, be thankful you have a life, make something of it & enjoy it. Sorry this is so long, but today is one of the days that I am really missing him. I didn't post this to get sympathy, just to make a point. Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.


P.S. Bobtoad, you do know that Star Trek is science fiction & Mr. Spock & the Vulcans are imaginary characters?

[Edited by teresafannin on 09-25-2000 at 03:43 PM]

 

[Bobtoad777]

Re: Boy are you wrong, Todd

I can feel you hurting and I see what it is that's driving you to write all this stuff BUT, if it was just as you see it right now, many of us would simply kill ourselves.

You see it your way now, others see the opposite. They are not in your situation. Your views and theirs will change in other circumstances.

It is our emotions that drive us and always has.

I have no intention of writing a long post to try and prove it to you - you'd take no notice at this time. Just remember the 'comfort' that is handed out in circumstances like this. Time heals. It sounds a bit 'twee' but almost everyone can find a time in their lives when it applied.

Running off and killing myself would simply be giving into the emotion in and around us, giving into emotion is weakness, strength comes from over coming emotion and not allowing it in your life.

I have been in and continue to go through main circumstances for 25 years, and the only constant in all of it is pain caused emition.

There is no comfort for life for emotion here is simply false fakely given emotional tarp clothe that we through over the pain to hide it from others and sometimes ourselves. Time does not heal it merely gashes the wounds of pain deeper because the more time, means that more emotions will be played, the more emotions played the darker, deeper the further pain drags its claws across us.

 

[KillerMuffin]

Awwwww Bobtoad had a bad life. Poor thing. You think you're special? Think you're the only one who has hurt? Who has had pain? You think you're the one who thought emotionlessness would be a balm? You think you're the only one whose suffered? You think you're the only one who knows what its like to feel nothing but hurt all the time?

Newsflash child, you aren't. Every single living human being has felt emotional pain. Some worse than others. I defy you to say you've been hurt worse then I have. I'll laugh in your face and show you the scars. You are so pathetic.

I wish I didn't have to feel emotions so I wouldn't hurt anymore. Wah wah wah.

You wanna know the difference between you and me? I grew up and you're still a bratboy. Get a freaking therapist child. Stop being so freaking depressed and grow the hell up. Oh poor bobtoad had a bad life we should all feel for him awwwwwww everyone is so mean to him.

Did you ever stop to think why? Maybe because you act like a spoiled whiny child? Maybe because we're insulted that you think you deserve special consideration cause you have booboos? Oh, don't give me that I don't think that, cause you do, you ACT like it.

Grow the hell up. You're 25 years old, you should know better by now. No one is gonna hold your hand and wipe your nose. This is REAL LIFE boy. If you can't handle it, get a shrink and the prozac will.

 

[teresafannin]

Wrong again,bobtoad, time may not heal, but it does make things seem bearable. Last September, when I buried my son, I was on autopilot, taking care of all the things a mother has to. By October, his friends were back in school, the 500 thank you notes were sent & I collapsed. I spent 6 months playing solitaire & surfing the internet & barely leaving my apartment. I am now back at my job, doing victim's advocacy work & reclaiming my life. The pain will always be there & some days it is horrible, but there are also days that are okay. I just do the best I can & take it a step at a time. I feel sorry for you because you seem to have made the choice to give up on life before you have started to live it. You could learn something from my son. In his 17 years, he lived more than many people who have lived for 40. It wasn't always easy for him, but he always looked ahead, never behind. He learned from his past, but always looked toward the future. Life is a great gift & I don't think it matters how many years you live, it what you do with those years. I will climb off my soapbox now, since I don't think you will ever get it.

Good for you, KillerMuffin. I like you more with every post. It is good to know that there are others out there. Have a good evening.

[Edited by teresafannin on 09-25-2000 at 03:32 PM]

 

[Mustang Sally]

Bobtoad, bobtoad. You're obvioulsy depressed right now. I'm sorry your life has been so difficult, but surely you don't always feel this way.

Running off and killing myself would simply be giving into the emotion in and around us, giving into emotion is weakness, strength comes from over coming emotion and not allowing it in your life.

Strength comes from overcoming pain, not all emotion. Not allowing emotion into your life (if such a thing were possible) is not a sign of strength, rather a sign that you are hiding from pain. All emotion is not pain.

If you try to block out emotion, you're not really living. I can't imagine life with no emotions. Why get out of bed in the morning? Why do anything?

 

[Nicole]

May I just say to you Teresa, You are one very strong woman.

Bob take advice from this lady, she has been through more than you could possibly ever think. To loose a child ... I don't even want to imagine that one.

Teresa I will forever look up to you, as you've been through something that some of us will never know. To loose my son now would kill me, litrally kill me.

(((((((((((((Teresa)))))))))))))))))

 

[Bobtoad777]

Bobtoad, bobtoad. You're obvioulsy depressed right now. I'm sorry your life has been so difficult, but surely you don't always feel this way.

I am not depressed in fact now with out allowing emotion to rule me I am at one of the highest plateus i have been at

 

[teresafannin]

Hi Nicole, thanks so much. I am not nearly as strong as people think & those first few months I seriously considered suicide. The thing that ultimately stopped me is the knowledge that I have to speak for my son now. No one can do it better than I can & I know that he is proud of me for carrying on some of his dreams. I also know that he is proud of the work I am doing to help others who have lost a loved one to murder. I am working with the local media to help them to do a better job when reporting murder.Unfortunately, the death of my son & 7 others was THE biggest news story in North Texas last year. I am determined that what happened to us will not be forgotten & that my experiences will help someone else. I just wish bobtoad could understand how truly lucky he is to have his life.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Oh please. Have you not read these replies?
It's not possible to sustain an emotionless life, much as you might want to.

What is life but a quest for happiness? But if there's no emotion, there's no happiness. So then what? Really, bob, tell us what it's like.

 

[Bobtoad777]

STOP READING BETWEEN THE DAMN LINE AND READING THINGS IN THAT I DID NOT SAY NOR DO I WANT SAVE AND GIVE YOU FAKE WARMED OVER PITY/SYMPATHY TO SOME ONE WHO WANTS IT

What is life but a quest for happiness? But if there's no emotion, there's no happiness. So then what? Really, bob, tell us what it's like.

Where there is no emotion there is no happiness there is no pain. Life is not a quest for happiness it is merely gaining transportation from point A to point B in the safest way. If you can do it with Emotion Power to you, hope you find an outlet for it as teresafannin did. But if I can get there just as sane if not saner that y'all with out it than is there anything wrong with that? Its just I will have done with less pain and suffering, than some.

[Edited by bobtoad777 on 09-25-2000 at 04:52 PM]

 

[KillerMuffin]

Bobtoad, bobtoad. You're obvioulsy depressed right now. I'm sorry your life has been so difficult, but surely you don't always feel this way.

I am not depressed in fact now with out allowing emotion to rule me I am at one of the highest plateus i have been at

Now thats funny. I mean really. Not allowing emotion to rule you. Still feeling stuff though, no doubt. Bob, dude, repressing your pain and anger is about the quickest way to self destruct. Talk about a walking time bomb. Ya can't say you don't have pain cause you said you did. And if you have pain over a breakup, which you said you did, then there has to be anger about it. You may not think you're depressed, but you probably are. Its the body's natural way of dealing with a trauma. Specially if you have a history of being hurt.

Few quick signs babe, change in eating habits, eat lots more or less, thats why shrinks always ask about weight loss/gain. Change in sleeping habits, usually sleeping more, but insomnia is a symptom too. Lethargy, don't really feel like getting up and doing stuff you need to do, more likely to procrastinate and put things off. You feel like dealing with people less, more likely to put off those phone calls you gotta make, ignore your friends. Upswing in addictive behaviours, like being on the net all the damned time. Compulsive behavior, like needing to suddenly clean everything in the house when thats not normal, or having to rearrange your sock drawer, shopping, binge eating. Headaches. Unreasonable anger, irrational laughing fits. Don't feel much like exercising, even though it might be a daily routine. Theres more.

Quite frankly, child, you've been showing some really weird behavior lately, the whiny fits and the sudden martyrdom spiels. Those things, coupled with the recent public breakup and this thread, for that matter, are pretty strong indicators, even to us, that ya'll might be depressed.

You can be happy and laughing and feel like you're enjoying life and still be depressed. Depression isn't curled up under the couch bawling all the time.

 

[Jester]

You toss out your emotions and you toss out your humanity with them. You don't want anything bad to happen to you, fine, then nothing good can happen to you, either. You want to ditch the emotions, fine, be a soulless automation. Everyone gets fucked over at one point or another. It's called life and it holds just as much heartbreaking wonder and beauty as it does soul-wrenching shit. You want to refuse the good parts, fine, the rest of us will take them. Try to condemn yourself to a flat, grey hell if you want to, but you can't hold back the tide forever.

 

[teresafannin]

Bobtoad, if you weren't feeling anything, you wouldn't have started this thread & you wouldn't keep coming back to the board. There is no way you are saner than anyone on this board. You are a therapists dream & I would be willing to bet that the majority of people in mental hospitals are saner than you are.

 

[Cheyenne]

You want to be a minister? What do you think ministers do all day and night? How many hours do you think they spend at hospitals helping other people to deal with pain? How many hours do you think they spend with the elderly in the nursing homes? With the parents who have just lost a child? With the teen who just found out she is pregnant and scared to death to tell her parents? With the poor who can't afford to pay their rent, or food to feed their children? With the hidden alcoholics in the congregation? With the hidden abusers, or with those who have been abused?
If you can't deal with pain and help others through it, be sure to pick a different profession when you grow up, okay?

 

[Bobtoad777]

Few quick signs babe, change in eating habits, eat lots more or less, thats why shrinks always ask about weight loss/gain.

Lets see I have been 170-180 pounds for the last 7 years and average 2 meals a day with two snacks, must be depressed.

Change in sleeping habits, usually sleeping more, but insomnia is a symptom too.

Chronic Insomnia fron childhood, due to an over dose, must be depressed.

Lethargy, don't really feel like getting up and doing stuff you need to do, more likely to procrastinate and put things off.

Lifetime motto since grade 5, why do today what you can put off till next week, must be depressed.

You feel like dealing with people less, more likely to put off those phone calls you gotta make, ignore your friends.

I deal with people as they come to need to be dealt with. Phone never rings unless its someone collecting money. When you move every few months you learn lot to make friends, it only causes more pain and suffering.

Upswing in addictive behaviours, like being on the net all the damned time.

Let's see just checked my I just checked my internet record with my ISP average 2 hours a day Monday-Friday 4 hours a day Saturday and Sunday, must be dpressed

Compulsive behavior, like needing to suddenly clean everything in the house when thats not normal, or having to rearrange your sock drawer, shopping, binge eating.

I spend 20 minutes every day keeping things dusted, must be depressed. Don't have socks, must be depressed. Two meals and two snacks a day, must be dressed.

Headaches. Unreasonable anger, irrational laughing fits. Don't feel much like exercising, even though it might be a daily routine. Theres more.

9-10 hours a day mainly manual labour work is enough for me plus a hour bike ride weather permitting in the summer and 90 minutes of swimming 3 times a week in the winter. Must be depressed.

Thank you Doctor Muffin for curing all my ailing ways.

 

[Bobtoad777]

You want to be a minister? What do you think ministers do all day and night? How many hours do you think they spend at hospitals helping other people to deal with pain?

The Pastoral Position is not one I want by choice, I never woke up one morning and said oh yeah I want to be a pastor and try to help people lead there lives on a straighter path. I simply state that seems to be the position I seem to be being pulled/dragged. Make me really wonder with the saying God doesnt call the qualified, He qualifies the called. As for spending time in the hospital I try to spend at least 1 hour every two days there with members of my congregation.


How many hours do you think they spend with the elderly in the nursing homes?

I usually unless I am sick, and I don't want to get the elderly sick try to spend a few hours every Saturday and Sunday in the Nursing homes


With the parents who have just lost a child? With the teen who just found out she is pregnant and scared to death to tell her parents?

Parents Don't usually come to someone younger than themselves so I don't deal with any of that yet accept for when one of my only friends ever died in a car accident, his parents came to me for the comfort of memory of their son. And I do volunteer Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours each at the local Crisis Pregnancy Centre with young teen girls that are afraid to talk to thier parent go.

With the poor who can't afford to pay their rent, or food to feed their children?

3 hours Every Saturday at a soup Kitchen Food Bank.

With the hidden alcoholics in the congregation? With the hidden abusers, or with those who have been abused?
If you can't deal with pain and help others through it, be sure to pick a different profession when you grow up, okay?

I can help others, and other are free to have all the emotions and feelings they want.