Posted by Michael Finkelstein | February 15th, 2018

Examining our Emotions

At our recent Men’s Group, one of the guys shared something he recently came across…a book that suggested that our emotions are essentially another sense; similar to smell, taste, sight, etc. This got me thinking, largely because I have spent so much time considering the effects of emotions, both personally and professionally, that they have always seemed to have a significance quite beyond something simple, like the taste of a fruit. But, as I think about it more, maybe there is something to be said for re-examining this bias.

What if our emotions were considered no more significant than the sting of a bee? While painful, initially, perhaps even complicated for a few hours, it passes. Only rarely does the memory linger to become something that shapes our lives. And the same for the delicious fragrance of a flower. An incredibly uplifting and wonderful moment, but fleeting nonetheless.

What would change if we managed to observe our emotions and not swallow them whole? Letting them roll off, the way cold rain eventually does. I’m not suggesting this is easy. And there may be many of you — including those specifically dedicated to helping people in the psycho-spiritual realms, who realize that individuals are indeed traumatized, and that trauma does dig deep and linger–that would argue that we can’t just pass over our feelings. But, imagine, what would change.

Maybe not all, but perhaps most of our experiences, both the highs and the lows, can be received with greater equanimity, and perhaps that would steady our course. What remains, the deeper, more problematic experiences and events that are more significant, will be the few. Without the continuous crashing waves and the deep sea of debris from the myriad of “small stuff” that we encounter, perhaps then, we will have greater clarity and better ability to focus on how to navigate the course correcting events that remain worthy of any attachment.

Something to consider for sure. I’d love to hear what you think about this.

Until next time, take care, as always,

Michael