Overall are Emotions a Positive or Negative thing.?

Question

For good or bad they distort the truth. I think we can all agree with that. So, really the question I'm asking is whether the pursuit of truth should be our ultimate goal, or are appearances and happiness of equal concern?

Note: I am note a philosopher or arguing a point, but instead asking a legitimate question.

Answer 1

They are primitive in nature, designed to allow us to reference a quality of being based on past experiences to help with survival. Overall, they are, in Spock's words, illogical and impact on us in a rather negative way, because we cannot come from creating as we live, but reacting.

Answer 2

Emotions can either be negative or positive. It all depends on your perspective. Regarding the pursuit of truth, yes. The pursuit of the truth should be our ultimate goal. But you must put into play that to reach that truth you must have happiness, peace. In order to have happiness you must be at peace with the thing you love. That pursuit could be art, writing, or appearances. It can be anything! So to answer your question, everything is of equal concern if you look at a whole world perspective (every single person on earth). That doesn't mean you have to take on everything. Just take on what will make you happy and be at peace with it. Then you will be able to see the truth.

Let emotions guide you, not control you.

Hope this helps =3
--Momiji-chan

Answer 3

Hello Michael,
part of the truth is that humans are capable of having emotions. We cannot have no emotions. If you want to pursuit the truth in shutting of emotions, you are missing out on aspects of the truth.
We know that our emotions have a vital part to play in our physical well-being too. Happy emotions lower blood pressure and help in heart coherence, plus they boost our immune system. So in attaining the truth we also must search for the meaning of emotions. Emotions do not distort truth, a person who denies emotions distorts truth more then the other way round.
Regards
Love is sweet

Answer 4

Would the truth be only what *is*, and a distortion to be a perspective that is held to be the only truth?

Therefore, naming emotions either good or bad (intrinsically) would be a distortion. A perspective *is* too, and so is an emotion - they are all truth infused.

More helpfully though, personally, I would think that reason without emotion, or the other way round, would not lead to happiness and thus both are needed and both need close control.

Emotion is the field within which we plant the seed of our thoughts.

Answer 5

I dont think u can arrive at a good conclusion for every problem through reason, far from it if you try to justify everything then u do and find a good reson for all you do then you are eradicating sponteneity by the very nature of what you do, and you are not allowing experience to fill that gap that theory only leaves hanging in the air, when throughts are neither proven true nor false.
Im sure both could be justified by different perspectives, but reason wont extract the true importance of each (truth/appearance etc.) to you as an objective value to be balanced against the other one, as it is ultimately projecting the value of the each thing as opposed to assimilating the value to yourself via experincing each.

Answer 6

They're neither good nor bad. They just are - and they are part of what makes us human.

I wouldn't even necessarily agree that they "distort" the truth - since no human has ever observed objective truth unfiltered by any emotions, who's to say the truth we CAN access isn't the "real" truth.

Without emotions, none of would be here to even ask those questions. So if emotions are good or bad largely depends on whether you think human existence is good or bad.

Answer 7

Emotions are a positive thing even though they may feel pretty negative sometimes.

The pursuit of truth shouldn't be our ultimate goal. Emotions are there for a reason. Good or bad they are a part of the life experience. It's one of the things that makes us human.

Without emotions we would never feel bad but then we would also never fall in love, we would never feel happy for no reason and we would never really be able to live life. We would be like automatons.

Answer 8

Search for what truth though - I mean whether emotions are bad or good as you put it I fail to see how the two points are related - why do we insist on asking these general profound questions and really the basics get lost in translation. Whatever you decide I would advise that you keep it simple and be true to yourself and not to worry about what others are doing.

Answer 9

it depends on the expression of the emotion, and whether it harms anyone else. i don't think emotions distort the truth, whatever the truth is. emotions are central to life. without emotions, we would all be plants.

i couldn't be happy if i was forced to keep up appearances all the time. better out than in, so i would say emotions are positive and healthy if they are appropriate.

so, don't expect me not to cry at funerals and wakes, or for me not to laugh and cry simultaneously when i see a baby being born on the telly.

Answer 10

I think you might want to check out Principle-Centred Living (Stephen Covey et al). It sounds as though you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the challenges of everyday living.


Adherents of principle-centred living typically claim that it represents a genuinely new paradigm that addresses the dilemmas of modern living, that helps to:

* resolve a positive active balance between work/family and personal/professional goals, even when you feel under pressure;

* feel confidence by seeing simplicity in the midst of complexity;

* keep a steady course when modern living means strategies and plans are often thwarted by rapid and unexpected change;

* understand the human failings of others with compassion not defensive judgement;

* look positively for learning and discovery when faced by the differences you find in others, rather than finding disappointment that they do not see the world as you do;

* gain energy and inspire others to solve challenges and seize opportunities using lateral thinking, without fearing failure or chaos;

* empower positive change while minimising the disruption to others that change implies;

* make a real difference while valuing the different approach in people around you;

* feel confident about how to initiate change and manage the energy required to keep learning, growing and moving forward.

In answer to your question: balance is the goal - interaction with others, in all its forms, is the key.

Answer 11

emotions cloud and effect our judgements. they dont neccesarily distort the truth, the see a different perspective, and record it accordingly.

what is the truth? is your truth, or are you retelling somone elses truth... what if their truth was a lie? your assumptions would be incorrect, would they not? and the lie becomes truth without contradiction.

life is for want of a better phrase, holistic. its all so intterconnected and entwined that one system effects another, it can be exponential in its effect... we all strive for happiness, appearance is something we do to impress the neighbours... and really, its just window dressing...

define happiness? its a feeling, a satisfaction and we all strive... and work at it... we like happy, its nice...especially when compared to not nice... can the truth destroy happiness..yes, of course it can... bbut what price do you place on that happiness... is it worthy of the sacrifice? of the cost?

can you handle the truth? can you process what it is you seek to define... at 3 10 am local time...
without each and every facet of our pysical ans social makeup... we would not be who we are... the closest thing i can think of would be a borg drone...

emotions dictate logic.. it creates shortcuts and ignores the obvious... emotions, give us empathy, and the ability to live together... as individuals... in a nightmare only imagined by Dante'.