Thursday, January 11, 2007
Emotional Involvement
Sometimes, the only thing keeping us connected to a situation, especially damaging ones, is our emotional involvement. We easily get caught in the wave like movement of those emotions and allow ourselves into situations that we would reject under clear thinking. Tonight I sat next to a man on a plane that works for Fox. He told me that he would take his daughter to the sets where they were filming TV shows and she would see how it was actually done. Being able to see the fake cities that they used in NYPD Blue and the chocolate sauce blood in other shows gave her a new perspective on TV violence. Suddenly, her emotional connection to what was happening on TV completely dissolved. When a scary part would come on the TV, her dad would cover her eyes and she would say, "Dad, it's just chocolate sauce." She didn't really get involved in what was on the screen. She could see it for what it really was.
How often are our emotional attachments to situations based on false pretenses? I would say very often, especially the negative situations. People struggling with addictions are often caught up in the fantasy of the situation or the emotional roller coaster that they experience but if they could step back for a second, they would see that not only are they getting involved in an activity that isn't good for them, but it's something that they themselves don't even really want. They have no desire for the actual activity once that emotional attachment is severed. That is one of the reasons that we're told to count to 10 when we're losing our temper. If you can just give yourself a small amount of time to let the emotions settle, you'll be able to see more clearly. So, I think that this brings a whole new light to the mist of darkness that we're supposed to be experiencing during our lives here on earth. I'm not saying that emotions are negative things by nature, but they can be used against us to cause us to be blinded to the road we're on and the effects of our choices. Choosing to break that emotional connection can free up our ability to see clearly all of our choices and the paths that will follow each choice. So, if you're struggling with something in this life, try and learn to recognize the emotions that precede your slip. What can you do that would break those emotional threads before you fully act on them? What can separate you from what you're feeling and your actions so that you can see clearly?
How often are our emotional attachments to situations based on false pretenses? I would say very often, especially the negative situations. People struggling with addictions are often caught up in the fantasy of the situation or the emotional roller coaster that they experience but if they could step back for a second, they would see that not only are they getting involved in an activity that isn't good for them, but it's something that they themselves don't even really want. They have no desire for the actual activity once that emotional attachment is severed. That is one of the reasons that we're told to count to 10 when we're losing our temper. If you can just give yourself a small amount of time to let the emotions settle, you'll be able to see more clearly. So, I think that this brings a whole new light to the mist of darkness that we're supposed to be experiencing during our lives here on earth. I'm not saying that emotions are negative things by nature, but they can be used against us to cause us to be blinded to the road we're on and the effects of our choices. Choosing to break that emotional connection can free up our ability to see clearly all of our choices and the paths that will follow each choice. So, if you're struggling with something in this life, try and learn to recognize the emotions that precede your slip. What can you do that would break those emotional threads before you fully act on them? What can separate you from what you're feeling and your actions so that you can see clearly?
Labels: avoiding temptation
