The classic understanding of Emotion

Often many pop spirituality authors have this tendency of ranking emotions from a higher rating (such as Love) to a lower rating (such as jealousy). There are objective goods and truths in the world but an emotion per se is not objectively good or bad. Perhaps they are objectively good or bad but not to the extent that they can be good or bad in all cases. It is not in the nature of an emotion to be good or bad

Love is good but if reason does not prevail, a fine thing as love can be corrupted by wishing to possess and impose on others, requirements, we would never wish on our selves. Our own insecurities make us pervert Love and consequently, motivate us to harrow and impose ourselves on them. What motivates our action is not Love that has ceased to exist but to be free of our insecurities and be free from our doubts and trust issues.


No one thing is good in the world, say love or patriotism. To cite another example, there are instances when a mother’s love for her own children or a man’s love for his own country (say Mamta Banerjee’s love for West Bengal which people alleged is clear in the rail budget) have to be suppressed or they will lead to unfairness towards other people’s children or countries says C.S Lewis [brackets added without italics]


The problem with this over-emphasis on emotions and making a psychology out of it is that it gives emotion too much power and gives ‘will’ and reason a lower rank. It is all about what one is feeling, what one should feel, what thoughts is being transmitted from the universe. No questions are asked such as, where are these emotions coming from? Why am I feeling jealous? Jealousy can also be good.


I see two guys being very good friends and I long to have a relationship as they do. I am jealous. Until now, the full force of jealousy has not manifested. Until now, my will is controlling my emotion, the jealousy is not overbearing for the will tends to reason and good. Because the will tends to reason, it does not allow emotion to run like a horse away from reality. Reason says (to jealousy), “Stop here, beyond this you cannot manifest because it may undermine yourself and others”. Reason prevails. Reason prevails also because the will tends towards good: I cannot be jealous for something so noble. I am jealous for I myself long for a relationship like theirs.


Plato and Classic Philosophy say that the soul is made of intellect and will. Emotions are of the body, the passions. Usually, passions take a man away from reason. It is not wrong to feel these passions but these passions are usually overbearing if reason does not keep its check and subject the passion to dominion of reason just.


If you feel hungry and wish to leave for lunch but have a project and project team stopping you, your emotions or passions can persuade you to leave. Reason has to prevail, saying,” look I cannot leave as no one else is leaving at this critical juncture” But passions may be too strong and one may cook up things like: why can’t I leave, I have finished my work? Often many people would call this lack of charity or individualism which is fine at a certain level but definitely does not help in projects.


Eventually you are going to do (action depends on will) where your will is pointing. If your will is pointing to reason (I ought to stay back), you will not go but simply control your hunger for a little while. if your will is pointing to emotions (Just leave and grab a bite, quick), the battle has already been won and you will begin to make some excuse like a phone call or that you have to visit the toilet in the pretext to leave for lunch. Deep inside, you know you ought to have waited back with your team. Nobody makes excuses for the right things but only for the wrong things.


Another thing about emotion is that people often say that we should ‘go with what your heart says (emotion) or ‘trust your feelings’ or ‘higher instinct’. They really don’t understand how emotions work. When a man is drowning, there is perhaps a will to help as everyone believes in helping but only fear, insecurity and weakness of losing one’s own life in the process, sets in as the primary emotions. In spite of this, reason demands: jump, he will lose his life. If I had to go with my emotions or with my ‘higher’ instinct, that was to flee, I would be choosing self-preservation over the highest nobility: life. Yes, prudence can be shown and self-preservation is also choosing life but it is choosing one’s own.


Man often feels emotions due to his own imperfections and often due to what society perceives is ‘sissy’, ‘pansy’, ‘girlee’, ‘dufas’ and all those stereotypes. At such times, either given in to what I ‘feel’ or command myself to adhere to reason and not emotion for emotions will always rebel against reason.


There are certain imperfections in Man. If Ben was brought up in a community where things work, an eye for an eye, there are chances, an act of virtue, of bearing up excess work in silence would be deemed by Ben as cowardice. An obedient person could be perceived by Ben as a weak person and the emotions running through Ben’s mind would be to avoid being associated with such people.


An Emotion is a horse galloping fast and Reason, the horse rider. The horse rider has to control the horse by reining it left or right and subjecting the horse to the right direction. Else we risk breaking the foundations of right and wrong by patronizing emotions and doing as we desire rather than doing what ought to be done.