Monday, January 3, 2011

Don't judge me, but...

...but I really feel this is nonsensical.






Feelings. We all have them. To some they're difficult to figure out. To others that’s very easy. 
Sometimes, I feel like I'm colourblind. It's like I have fewer possibilities for what I’m feeling than most people. They’re just different shades of brown. Or different levels of anxiety. Some people have a wide variety of options. Usually, those people are also talented at interpreting emotions, the way some people can just tell aqua and turquoise are different. 
Artists are trained to interpret these colours. Can we train ourselves to interpret our feelings just as clearly? Would it make a difference? I suppose most of us don’t do it already because we don’t care?
Maybe if we could feel as clearly as we see colours, we wouldn't have double standards about them: we have to feel, but we can't show it; the possibility of feeling the wrong way; having feelings proves our weakness.
I think these double standards exist because we don't understand the way we feel. It's difficult for most people. We have to think about them much more than we actually do. Usually when my feelings seem grey, it's because there are a whole load of different ones mixed up. We don’t take the time to trust ourselves and separate them. 
If we understood the way we feel and why, we would have more confidence in ourselves and what we do. Our feelings drive our lives, but if we don't know who's driving, of course it's unnerving. 
We shouldn't be ashamed of the way we feel; we just do. There are so many reasons that shape that. So when we ask ourselves "Why am I feeling this way?", instead of saying that you or someone else is stupid, maybe you should take the time to question that answer. That's probably not the real reason. 
We probably do this so rarely because it's so scary to go and find those real reasons, but then, why should we be afraid of our feelings. They are, in fact, our feelings. We're terrified of our feelings, because of this preconceived idea that we're out of control of our feelings, that they could drive us crazy. But, again, if we figure out who's driving, we might find a way to stop them from driving us crazy.
With the way our lives have evolved, there’s no time. We care less and less about the things that really make us who we are. It’s scary and uncomfortable, so we move on. Nothing must put us out of control of our own lives. Not even ourselves. 
We’re afraid of the chain effect that dealing with our feelings will have on the many other aspects of our lives. We have no time, because we have too many other things to deal with. Or do we make it that way so that we don’t have to deal with our feelings? Is it an excuse?
So how can we be weak for showing our feelings? We are strong for believing that we have enough self-control to take the time to remove ourselves for an extra second to think about who we are. We feel because who we are. We feel because of values, fears, needs. These are all unique to us, and we should remember that it’s important to express who we are. 
Therefore, it’s impossible to feel the wrong way. You're feeling your way. You can’t feel anyone else's way. 
Why don't we all just accept it and stop guessing and denying and feeling guilty about feeling? It's your life. Do you understand why you're doing what you’re doing with it?

1 comment:

  1. "When we cry our lips are drawn downwards; when we laugh they are drawn upwards, but in both cases the whole face is contorted and twitches convulsively. Is this not a way of regaining our balance, of going back to a state of equilibrium we have momentarily lost and can recover only as a tight-rope walker recovers his: by swaying jerkily back and forth for a little while?" - Andrei Sinyavsky

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