Are you enslaved by your emotions?
Do your emotions control you or do you control them?
Did you know that your emotions are meant to work for you and NOT the other way around, or against you?
In the process of being inspired to publicly share my insights around gaining emotional control and autonomy over oneself to live a more fulfilling life… I looked up the meaning and origin of the word emotion, just to be clearer on where I’m coming from.
The Oxford American College Dictionary states that emotion is:
- a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one’s circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.
- instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.
The origin is stated as being mid 16th century (denoting a public disturbance): from French émotion, from émouvoir ‘excite’, based on Latin emovere, from e- (variant of ex- ) ‘out’ + movere ‘move’.
It is important to note that emotion is considered to be an unconscious and automatic state of mind that is an effect of something corporeal in the first definition.
To me that means that if you consistently choose a different perspective of your circumstances, mood, and relationships… you can derive a different and more desirable state of mind (and being), when it would be beneficial for you to do so.
By consciously and consistently choosing a positive perspective… a consistently positive state of mind can become a natural response to all circumstances, moods, and relationships if that is what one aspires to experience.
It’s important to notice in the second definition that emotion doesn’t come from using reason or knowledge… it comes from instinct, intuition, feelings, etc… which can be erroneous, especially in a person who has not fully developed their reasoning abilities.
Most of us have not been taught how to reason, as that is not part of a course of study generally available or required in most public educational institutes. Reason is an inner faculty we should all aspire to develop correctly through education and practice, if we aspire to thrive in all aspects of our lives.
I also believe the origin of the word emotion is very important to consider. I consider it to mean moving out internal energy in an excited and publicly disruptive manner.
We are all made of Energy in various forms (organization); electronic energy to be more specific, which we human beings tend to transmit and transmute unconsciously (since that is in the perpetual nature of Energy). When we transmit our inner energy without knowledge, control, and intention… we may disturb others’ peace… such as in the case of having an emotional outburst.
When you unconsciously choose to allow your negative emotions to run wild… their negative nature can deprive you (and those in your energy field) of health, peace, love, joy, success, and even life.
A key to a healthy, harmonious, free, fulfilling, and thriving life as evolved individuals and a civilized society is for individual beings to voluntarily and intentionally choose to educate themselves on how to sustainably and continuously develop and express peace, health, love, hope, courage, security, and faith effectively in their (our) lives… no matter what is going on in the world around them (us).
I have learned that these inner attributes are like muscles. The more you consciously practice using them, the stronger they will become… and the more often you will use them unconsciously, naturally. Like physical muscles, you can’t develop your inner attributes without “challenges”. So, don’t necessarily avoid all negative circumstances, moods, and relationships… instead try to appreciate them as opportunities to self-actualize yourself.
The easiest way to attain a positive state of being individually (and subsequently collectively) is by understanding and constructively sublimating your emotions… especially by choosing to separate yourself from, and not identify with, any undesirable and detrimental emotions. Instead, choose to always look for the good in ALL.
I believe that as long as I am still alive, I will always be able to find something positive to be grateful for in ANY and ALL circumstances. The same applies to all other human beings… because where there is Life, there is always Love and Hope.
Self-knowledge and self-mastery is possible for anyone who aspires to realize and actualize their full potential, as it takes the same amount of energy to feel bad as it does to feel good… yet the consequences on your body, mind, soul, and life are vastly different.
If you care about being successful in all aspects of life… know that ultimate peace of mind and freedom come from choosing to be grounded, and unattached to the fleeting finite, at all times.
Remember this whenever you desire to feel better, especially during trying times:
You are not your body.
You have a body.
You are not your mind.
You have a mind.
You are not your pain.
You have pain.
You are not your ease.
You have ease.
You are not your suffering.
You have suffering.
You are not your joy.
You have joy.
You are not your thoughts.
You have thoughts.
You are not your feelings.
You have feelings.
You are not your actions.
You only have actions.
You are not even the consequences of your actions.
You have consequences.
You are the infinite witness and cause of all these effects.
You can change the course of your life ANY time that you choose to take full control over your individual mechanism. Until you make the conscious choice and commitment to take control of your entire being (body, mind, and soul) don’t be surprised to feel like these effects are causes to how you experience Life.
