Emotions: My Choice
by All emotions are a choice. You are the deciding factor.
Emotion. The concepts that help us describe how we respond to the world around us are almost innumerable and sometimes very hard to describe to others. We feel emotions based on stimuli either external or internal. Whether the initiating stimulus came from outside of us or inside our body or mind, doesn’t really matter, the feeling is still the same.
These feelings are usually a response. If we encounter a person who begins yelling at us, accusing us of something we may or may not have done, we often feel anger. Later we may feel offended. If we are rightly accused, we can feel Guilt, or Remorse. If we encounter a scene that we decide is beautiful, we can feel Joy. If we share that scene with another person, we may feel Happiness. Later, if we think about either of those experiences, even though the event is in the past and we are only reliving it in our mind, we can still feel those same emotions.
However, if we do not respond to the outside influences, mentioned above, in the ’standard’ ways, we can decide to choose our action instead of going with the automatic reaction. If we are cut off in traffic, instead of cursing at the offending driver (reacting), we can just let them pass and think instead of why they may be in a hurry (acting). In this way we can choose compassion or empathy instead of anger and frustration.
You are in control of your body and mind, your thoughts and your actions. You can decide whether to react or to act. All of our emotions are choices. You can choose which of the emotions in the long list of available feelings, which you would like to feel and choose appropriately. I feel; Happiness, Anger, Joy, Frustration, Love, Hate, Kindness, Guilt, Offense, Contentment, Indifference, Trust, Apathy, Lust, Craving, Excitement, Faith, Hope.
No one can control your emotions. By their behavior, others can try to influence you to react in the ‘normal’ way, but they cannot ‘make’ you do it. If someone is rude to you, you can still smile and feel happy. Whatever you feel is your own choice. No one else can choose it for you. The big question is; Do you want someone else to control you? Or do you want to be in control of yourself.
The choice is yours. You decide.
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