Feeling and Emotions

Positive, comparative and superlative degrees; we all are familiar with these three bunch of words since childhood English grammar class, “degrees of comparison”.  I was baffled by the way each word, when used in a same sentence delivered drastic change in the meaning than that it previously conveyed. The way the negative sentences became more negative and the positive ones got more positive fascinated me then. My point is, there are always better things to learn, experience and enjoy than what we are up to right now. 

“Happy, happier and happiest”, this bunch of three words were probably among the first few we learnt under the topic “Degrees of comparison”.  It is the basic feeling that every living entity senses in this world, albeit the way of sensing it is diversified by their own sanity. If I were bestowed upon by the gift to listen to nature, perhaps I could say that a plant would be happy when a bud on its branch blooms, a flower would be elated when the bee feeds on its nectar, a twig or the jute string would be contented to be the part of a nest, a tree would be happy when the spring arrives, a sunflower would be glad to see the first ray of rising sun and so on, stress your imagination. I could possibly enumerate this infinitely.

When asked to define “happiness” formally, most of us can’t because it’s something that can only be felt or shared and not explained. It takes only an expert in etymology or a lexicographer to put this abstract emotion in words. Not only “happiness” this, applies to every abstract feeling that could be felt: grief, crisis, failure, humiliation, deprecation, ecstasy, frustration and many more innately present within us.

The utmost or only desire of a person’s life is to struggle diligently, all his life to be happy himself, place himself amidst happy people and do happy things. The real happiness is that which renders perpetual joy rather than ephemeral ecstasy. Unfortunately, although most of are aware this, we set our odyssey seeking the impulsive, interim methods to please our soul. It’s definitely not incorrect, but overlooking the aeon happiness engrossed in finding these temporary methods is where we go wrong.  After all the memory-wall of our lives is to be decorated with assorted forte. But it’s us who have to choose if what we do deserves a place in the memory wall.

We all have our own interpretation of the ideal or perfect life. It may be simple or complex that others tend to think it’s impractical. Few always resist anything and everything that detours them from walking along the path they intend to follow. And a few fall under the category where they don’t hesitate to forfeit their dreams to assuage others. But I say it’s of no use if what we do is not appreciated by the people for whom we sacrifice our dreams.  Also, what we really have to think is can appreciation compensate the loss we have suffered?

I want to quote my favorite line by Mark Twain “Sorrow can take care of itself, but to get true benefit of joy, you must share it”. I had slight disagreement with this line when I came across it for the very first time. The reason was that I always thought and was taught that the intensity of the sorrow can be decreased when shared. But it didn’t take me long to realize that sharing the grief can just make you feel light momentarily. But the joy we share will be cherished forever, with the same intensity. Sorrow is something to be forgotten and only joy is something to be shared. It’s because we can cry in isolation, but to laugh we need company. 

Crisis, humiliation, deprecation and such are something that contribute towards molding us for better or worse depending on how we look at it. Also it makes us mentally prepared to encounter same or similar situations in the days to come. But how far it is appropriate to bear it is something that we have to deliberate ourselves. Revolting against it is conventionally a normal tendency. But that just intricates the already worse situation, increases the level of frustration. As a result our main motto of revolting to solve the issue increases cumulatively. Tolerating a few things to retain our mental peace doesn’t mean you can’t overturn. Also it doesn’t mean that one needs to be masochistic. Ignoring a few things just to avoid the ill repercussions that are likely to occur for being infuriated doesn’t project one to be timorous. It only portrays how tolerant he can be and his wit of being indifferent to nontrivial happenings around.

We are emotionally attached to someone. Even though we don’t actually talk to the often, it is them whom we remember when we are in trouble or depressed. At times when there is lot of unpleasant events, thoughts or issues running across our mind, we put all our will & wit together to try and phrase it to share it with them. We do expect them to favor us in whatever they tell in return. Be it advice for a problem or analyzing the mistake of someone who caused us to feel low. What happens if the person whom we trust say otherwise? We resist sharing such things with that person since we always think we are right. It is human tendency to tag himself as the most righteous person in the world. We don’t accept any inclination that says otherwise. No one is wrong in this world but actions reflect their mental state or their understanding.

Argument is something that is to be avoided. We cannot change anyone by futile arguments nor can anyone change us. Isn’t it wise to avoid this is and keep our opinions to ourselves? If a person can find preserver peace in his heart by prayers we need to respect his emotions and not elucidate about nonexistence of God. I am not proposing that we should never try and change a person when his practice are adversary to others. My idea is that argument is not the better way to mend anyone. It may lead to several unanticipated mishaps.

            The terrorists are taught only to kill people. They won’t even know how it is different from leading normal life. They don’t know there exits an alternate life. The concept of committing murder for obvious reasons will be imprinted permanently into their subconscious levels that it gets impossible to overwrite. Ajmal Kasab was taught nothing but to be a terrorist and lynch people. My voice doesn’t of course favor him. I must admit his death sentence is a lesson to all the people who teach and compel young minds to live to die killing. There is something incorrigible going on around us.

            Emotions, mind, feelings are the one that builds the personality of an individual and hence the whole human race. Precisely emotions, shared or kept within, rule the world. Conflict of emotions originates war. Meeting of emotions emerge friendship, irrespective of the scale. Emotion is the base and face of the world. Adolf Hilter’s emotions changed the world and so did Mahatma Gandhi’s but in two different directions. It’s only us who can decide the way life is to be lead, if we aren’t aware of the ways then we must make an effort of taking the advice from the experienced ones. Live life the best way possible, as we all know, a moment can be spent only once.