Is Hope Actually an Emotion?
A POST INSPIRED BY ANOTHER IN WHICH I SHARE POWERFUL STUFF AND METAPHORICALLY SPIT IN YOUR EYE TO ILLUSTRATE A POINT.
Still relatively new to Steemit and you can find me daily reaching out, reading and commenting on many of your posts. This is a time consuming yet worthwhile activity as I have, already, stumbled upon many inspired and inspirational souls, and gathered a little coin into the bargain.
Yesterday I read a fascinating post by @sauravrungta entitled “What is The Strongest Human Emotion”. You can read it here: https://steemit.com/life/@sauravrungta/what-is-the-strongest-human-emotion
(Dear sauravrungta, I hope you are not offended by my further thoughts on your thoughts. It is not my intention to be niggly).
A well written piece in which @sauravrungta proposed that ‘Hope’ was the strongest human emotion. This conclusion troubled me and throughout the day I quietly reflected upon it feeling sure in my position that hope was not actually an emotion.
That Hope is actually a concept.
Before going to sleep I asked my husband, Rick, what he thought hope was and, true to form, his response didn’t disappoint!
For those new to my ramblings both Rick and I talk to Spirit. And so it was that together, Rick and Mary - my spirit guide, helped elucidate and differentiate the subtle nuances that categorize concept, feelings and emotion.
Without realising it, having been inspired by @sauravrungta’s writing, I stumbled upon something which is actually of immeasurable significance to us all if we are to understand our own mechanics and live successful lives.
Here is what they said:
Mainstream thought says that there are 5 senses:
(For this piece I will stick to this flawed wisdom whilst briefly acknowledging that we also have a sixth sense which is based in the esoteric).
Sight.
Sound.
Smell.
Touch.
Hearing.
And that there are only five primary human emotions:
Love.
Hate.
Fear.
Happiness.
Sorrow.
All other emotions are derivatives of these five. For instance appreciation is a derivative of love, disgust/hate, anxiety/fear, satisfaction/happiness and grief/sorrow – you get the gist.
A Concept is an idea.
A Feeling is a response to stimuli real, imagined or remembered.
An Emotion is a reaction to a feeling.
So, emotions are not strictly feelings although they are inextricably linked; (Yeah! I struggled with this but stick with me please). Feelings are the trigger for emotion and are created by our senses. For instance, our feelings must be awakened by our physical senses or mindset to illicit a response which creates an emotion.
At the end of the day I feel hopeful that there is enough hot water for me to luxuriate in a deep hot bath. There is - and I feel happy, (and satisfied), as I relax in sudsy water with my candles, book and glass of wine.
In hoping I embraced a concept. In soaking in my tub I experience the feeling of pleasure which translates into the emotion of happiness.
Hope can trigger emotion but is not in itself an emotion.
The thought “I hope I haven’t missed my flight” generates the feeling of anxiety – If I make my flight I am Happy = emotion. If I miss my flight I am Sad = emotion.
If I spit in your face you feel revulsion which translates into the emotion of hate/distaste/anger.
(Just call me Linda the Llama!)
So, in conclusion;
The lines between these processes are gauze like thin and it is easy to confuse one with the other; but, by embracing this subtlety we are more easily able to unpick our mental processes and understand our reactions and interactions in our world.
This, my friends, is big stuff.
(New to Steemit I have a lot to contribute to this vibrant community. All words, pictures and illustrations are my own work. I politely request that if you enjoyed this piece you spread the love and generously upvote/follow and even resteem so as, together, we can fly - with thanks).
http://www.lindadacey-laforge.com
Happiness is a mindset. It is not an emotion. Otherwise, you have almost zero control over your happiness. But, if you can choose to be unhappy, and who can't, that's easy, then conversely, you can choose happiness, which is simply contentedness, in any situation, regardless of physical stimuli from your senses. They only read the plane of matter. But the subconscious can see past that, if we allow it, to understand where we really stand in the grand scheme of things. You don't need hot water to be happy.
The mindset creates the feeling of wellbeing that creates the emotion of happiness. I reiterate my point; the concept creates a feeling that creates the emotion therefore, I believe, happiness is an emotion and we are able to influence/choose or create a feeling that generates happiness.
Well that's my tuppence worth, for what it's worth :) xox
This being the the case, then to test it - (you have use extremes in life to test the theory).... it self destructs, or it holds...(imo)
This is a screen shot of make up artist - I didn't want to use the real thing - it is horrific to see.
Looking at the real life pics of leg's blown off - I fail to see happiness,- or an ability to 'maintain a mindset' - with that physical stimuli - under such circumstances.
That being the case, the theory doesn't hold. (mind set v's emotion, I mean).
Thank-you for this; a fine illustration of the point I feel xox
a gory one, but hey! lol
sorry for not up voting you - I'm trying to power up....
https://steemit.com/blog/@lucylin/an-illustration-to-highlight-my-problem
I'm glad you upvoted my piece - I would never have come across you!
(use steemnow, if you didn't know about it - to track votes)
You cleared up my niggling sense that I also had, after reading the same post you are responding to.
Thank you!
A itch I no loner need to revisit! lol
I couldn't put my finger on it, and my attention went elsewhere (as happens quite a lot..)
(You upvoted my post on the -guyfawkes4-20-the-purpose-of-life-.)
Great, good writing job, I liked how you managed to analyze that idea. I think I agree with you, hope in itself is not an emotion. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement - this post has not garnered much interest which is a shame; but hey - I'm new so this is to be expected eh. Enjoy your day xox
Well said. It's important we keep an eye on things for what they really mean to help our self-understanding.
And again ditto to my above comment to @vieira
Be happy ;) xox
I just saw this and I could not help wonder, have you ever felt despair - I am talking about the despair that takes you over, crushing you. Have you ever felt a sudden burst of hope that has lifted you out of darkness?
I went to an orphanage (S Africa) and a girl of about 8 yo came to sit next to me. She was (I hate to say this about a child) really ugly. She had been severely burnt when the shack they lived in caught fire (she was younger) and the parents no longer wanted her. Blacks who visit to give children sweets etc., never want to even greet her and will only pass on some sweets.
She sat next to me, very timid, expecting me to ignore her or get up and walk away. I talked to her and with fear in her eyes she put her arm around me. I placed my arm around her shoulders and it was as if her face suddenly burst into song.
The light shining from her was hope. For the first time she was being treated like a human being, like a child and she dared hope and clung to me.
Me being white, her being black, guess what - the matron came and took her away from me.
Still: I have seen the darkest of despairs and I have seen hope...and they both sure felt like emotions to me.
The examples you gave of hope ARE just concepts, for they are trivial. Be told that your child was in the school bus and it crashed. You rush over and you are forced to stand at a small distance and you see children being brought out, one by one, but not yours. That despair you feel, you may call it a mindset, but it sure will feel like an emotion. They carry her body out and it hangs and you now really despair. Then someone calls out, her heart is still beating. Damn, but if what floods you is not an emotion because it is hope....
Lack of hope can cause us to die
and hope can give us the courage to fight like lions.
I do not believe the effect of concepts can be that powerful.
This is a great comment, thanks.
That poor child - I wonder what became of her ? :(
This has certainly given me something further to ponder.
And further illustrates that nothing is black and white in this world of ours.
xox
She was kept in a gov home for unwanted kids for about a year, returned home and a year later (13 yo) she met a man of 23 and they became lovers. She actually had him bring her to me, to show off that she is wanted.
As for my comment - I must admit, I don't always know what I'm writing about (in a debate style), because emotions tend to dictate the way I see the world.
Maybe a happy ending then ?
Fingers crossed.
Not a great one for debate myself ordinarily.
Best wishes for 2018 and beyond.
xox
Thanks and all my best wishes, in return