Brain Storm: Experiencing Life's Emotions

When we talk about emotions, there's always a few prominent ones which comes to mind first. 喜怒哀乐, as the Chinese phrase always go, though actually 喜 and 乐 comes pretty close. There's a difference in intensity though. Happiness, anger, sadness... These are emotions which everyone will definitely experience as we move through life.

There are the normal people who goes through life as it is, then you have the extremities - those who emo their lives away, and those who insist that life can be only happiness and it's all in the mind. I think that in life, it is essential to live through all these emotions. It is healthier to live them as they are, as they come. When something bad happens, it's alright to feel angry. When something depressing happens, it's alright to feel sad. When something nice happens, no matter how small it is, it's alright to feel happy. That's what life is supposed to be, a life of different colours. How fun will life which we only live once be, if we only stay sad all the time or even stay happy all the time?

I think it's not very sensible to say that as long as you wish to be happy, you can be. Life is not fair. There are people who are out there to get you. There are also people who affect you negatively unintentionally. Not everything is within our control. Wouldn't your life be miserable, in a way, if you brush everything off and stay happy when someone is torturing you? It's okay to let it out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this attitude is not right. It is definitely better to keep a positive attitude. But, you know sometimes, it's okay to let it get to you, to feel depressed, to cry it out, to flare up or to shout it out loud. You don't have to contain it, and pretend that everything's alright, all the time.

As for the perpetually emotional people, it's rather unhealthy too. Life is more than the sufferings you see. Being blinded is what keeps you from being happy. A lot of times, a person stays emo because he thinks that's the worse he has ever been. But even more often than not, a person stays emo because he thinks he's the worst off among the people around them. "Life sucks" and "Why do I have to suffer from this?" are common mentalities. But that is not true. Somewhere out there, there's definitely bound to be people who are worse off than you. When life cannot get worse, it can only get better. You wallow in self pity and that's why it becomes a spiral and a cycle you can never get out of. Even if you keep encountering a series of unfortunate events, it won't keep up. If it does, it's probably because you're not doing something about it. It's not easy but you have to try. Seek help because life is about sharing and helping each other. If you don't have anyone to count on, you probably just didn't find hard enough. Effort is needed if you want to escape the miserable fate you think you are caste in.

Life doesn't have the four seasons. Sometimes, you get a string of unhappiness. Sometimes, you keep getting unlucky. Sometimes everyone else just seems to be doing well. But life is complicated. We should try to keep life simple, but you don't have to shun that fact. It'll only get better. Don't be superficial.

So face it, your real emotions.

Why does 喜 and 乐 comes first and last? Because happiness is supposed to surround and engulf your negative emotions. No matter which direction you go, whether it is the start or end of the journey, you will be happy. If you are not happy, it's not the end yet.