Emotions in the theory of everything.
If possible, we can discover the theory of everything some day. It should be able to explain everything, and if our universe is a logical happening it can also predict everything (though practical impossible most of the time). If emotions are real, then how will they fit in the theory of everything?
I can see everything being a "game" of energy and space and such, but I don't understand how love and hate fit in the formula. Most things in our "human reality" are illusions, but I think emotions are real.
If two molecules want to be together, or repel each other, is that equal to love and hate? Can it be that simple?: Attraction = Love, and Repulsion = Hate.
Human emotions seem very complex, but maybe it all comes down to combinations of just attraction and repulsion.
Still, it seems a bit cold to explain pleasant and horrifying emotions by basic forces, but maybe these forces aren't as cold as we think, maybe molecules have emotions too.
Emotions in the human body
Where are the emotions? There are certain areas of the body's nervous system (including the brain) active during certain emotions, and chemicals at work.
Emotions aren't a certain kind of molecule, because atoms have mass and different moods should then alter your weight. If emotions are made of atoms, then how much grams would being really happy be? Yea; some grams of drugs, funny. I guess nobody has every tried to measure with high accuracy the weight of an emotion. If emotions are stuff with weigh, then how would that transport from and to or within you? Everything that "is" seems to exist from energy, space in motion. Maybe emotions have nothing to do with stuff like molecules, and are.. vibrating space with certain frequencies?
It seems more logical for emotions to be non-stuff, certain shapes of mass/energy.
We can feel our own, but not feel others's. Emotions are not to sense and not to measure. A real mystery. A person's soul, of the kind that passes on from life to life, could well be a fantasy of the mind, but if it's real then it -being a mystery of the same kind, could be connected to the emotions.
Most things we see are an illusion made by our mind, so that brings up the question "are emotions real?".
What ever they are, they're here.
Pleasant and unpleasant
We use names. Each name is short and represents a longer definition. ( = data compression!) We made-up these names and definitions. A definition is a way for us to separate our observations into two groups; either some observation does or does not fit between the definition-borders we drew.
There are many types of emotions... that is to say that we in our shared human reality made up a number of definitions concerning emotion, so we can split our observations of what we call emotion into groups, and talk about it. Although that's all pretty stupid, that's the way we do it (and I guess there's no better option for us anyhow).
So, I'll try not to dive and drown into all emotion sub-definitions we made up, try to keep it simple and open.
What was I thinking about... emotions! Right. So, basically there are emotions that I like, emotions that I don't like, and complex & dynamic combinations of these two.
I want to feel goood, and will do everything to get to that state of emotion. But I really don't want to feel bad, and will also do anything to avoid that group of emotions.
One lesson I've learned so far, is to not be afraid for my emotions, not even the most ugliest of them all. In particularly fear for fear, is a loop that doesn't go anywhere nice. Hard to change an old habit though. I guess many people avoid emotions all together, trying to avoid the powerful negative ones. One the other hand are people who let their emotions in full control, and experience a very bumpy ride.
The decision maker
I think every choice we make is based on emotions. People always choose the option that feels best -at that moment. Even if you have to choose an option that you don't like, you choose that because the other options seemed to be even wors. Even when if you choose what's best for the one you love instead of yourself, you did that because that makes you feel best. Even if asked if that circle over there is a circle or a square, you could choose to rebel -if that makes you feel better- and choose to answer "square" and then think of a way to support your obviously false answer (like: when looking at it sideways, it's a square).
Machines and emotions
We could write a program for a machine containing a set of rules on which it can make choices. It could even say "I love you" and "I hate rainy weather that causes me to short circuit", but it wouldn't feel anything. We animals aren't like that, are we?
A machine doesn't care about anything or anyone, not even itself, unless it is programmed to do so. Are humans programmed to truly believe we really care and feel, while we actually are just very complex biological.. things?
Doing the right things
Basically: life is good and death is bad. Life for one though, can mean death to another human/animal or pland, and sometimes a mind is fooled or screwed up, choosing things harmful instead of healthy. People are pretty short term thinkers ánd selfish, so many short term choices are long term disasters.
In our DNA is such that we roughly know & learn how to deal with good and bad.
Communicating emotions
If we could really feel other's emotions directly, there would be no reason to express them. But we do at times need to talk about it, act in a certain way to make clear what our emotions are at this moment, using: words, the tone of speech, bodylanguage, what clothes we ware and how, all kinds of ways to express emotions. All evidence that emotions are not some kind of personal energy field that could be shared.
Feeling another persons emotions can be handy, and disturbing, living in a city would drive you crazy for sure!
Does a person with two heads share emotions?
Of influence on emotions
We don't have control over our emotions, but we have influence. The things we think and physically do have their effects on our emotions.
Having control and then always feeling good would be dangerous. The motivation to do the right things would be gone, always feeling good. Even dying could then feel great. Harddrugs can do that devastating trick.
Your actions have their influence on your emotions. Also can the situation outside your body have great effects on how you feel. Everything is connected more or less. It seems like emotions are feedback with a judgment from your current situation.
There are certain emotions I don't like, like fear, but I have them anyhow, which is oké if there a . Sometimes when to my opinion I really don't need them, don't want them, still have them.
|
FEAR
Fear is an emotion that most don't like. It's the emotion you feel when things go terribly wrong, when your life is in danger, when you face an important situation of which you think you can't handle it.
Sometimes we search for scary situations to feel the rush of fear, but the risk shouldn't be too high, otherwise we'll probably get too scarred and hurt.
Fear is a good emotion (any emotion is fine) because it prepares your body for action when needed.
But fear can be really troublesome too, as most of you probably know. Having fear for something you know you don't need to fear, is very unpleasant.
I know how fear can fuck-up life sometimes.
I'm still trying to understand it, learn how to deal with it.
Fear for fear.
That's a "funny" loop, that will surely get you down. So that I guess is goal number 1. Fear is an emotion produced by yourself, ment to serve yourself, and not to be feared. It might feel like a monster that's attacking you, but there is no monster and no danger really. Question is: do you just fear fear, or do you fear any powerful emotion? If earlier in your life you have learned that suppressing your emotions is a good thing to do...
====
|
Giesbert Nijhuis
 |
