from Verse Fifty-NineThe universe does not give and therefore does not take away: it does not reward and therefore does not resent. Those who are accustomed to anger inevitably have a lot of resentment, those who are good at giving are inevitably good at taking. Only by following the naturalness of the universe can one master its design.~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~
Emotion is an inherent part of the human constitution. It spurs us to escape danger and motivates us to create great works of thought and art. It can cause our spirit to soar to the highest heights or to fall to the deepest depths.Yet emotion is also the aspect of humankind that estranges us from the Way. The universe itself is emotionless and impartial. It simply does what needs to be done and moves when it needs to move. While desire is the impetus to human thought and behavior, the universe simply is.
I believe that it is not only impossible but also not wise to seek to strip emotion from each of us. It is part of our nature. So, if part of our internal nature is antithetical to the Way, does this mean that we're eternally screwed?
Not at all. While emotion will forever reside within each of us, we can learn to keep it near the middle path. In my opinion, the way we get ourselves in trouble time and time again is when we allow our emotions to get the best of us, when we allow our emotions to jump or dive to the extreme. When this happens, it often causes each of us to careen out of control like a runaway train!
In meditation or deep contemplation, we can release the vice grip emotion has on our inner lives and catch brief glimpses of the universe beyond.
This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.
I have never quite understood the value of emotion.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing I can't do better by dispensing with emotion.
Even so I am emotionally inclined.
My wife could be descibed as an emotion-addict.
I have asked many people what use emotion is: they generally say it is what makes us human.
I do not agree with this.
But neither can I explain it.
May I suggest you are kind of emotionally attached to your emotions? (Even though you said you are incapable of empathy.) It may be our nature to be emotional, but the emotions themselves are not part of our nature. This may be more Buddhist than Taoist, but emotions are just energies that come and go, almost like itches or pain. They are reactions to things, responses, nothing eternal. There are fears and desires that once seemed so much a part of me, but no more; the things that aroused them fail to do so anymore. Not that I don't have newer fears and desires, but I recognize they are just as impermanent. And in a certain way, unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteCrow, Maybe the Baroness offered an explanation you would favor.
ReplyDeleteI really like her statement, "It may be our nature to be emotional, but the emotions themselves are not part of our nature." That's keenly insightful in my book!
Nowhere did I say I was unable to empathize. That would make me a psychopath (shock, horror, etc.)
ReplyDeleteIs empathy emotion? I think not.
Other than that: well put, Baroness, and a useful perspective.
Crow,
ReplyDeleteThe comment about an inability to empathize is directed at me, not you. It's a common trait of those with Asperger's. That said, even though I can't empathize, I'm not a psychopath. :)
RT, I know you're not a psychopath.
ReplyDeleteI should have made clear to whom I was talking.