A Flemm Blog

I never want my actions to be determined by emotion. I believe in being rational, and emotional responses are completely lacking in ration. Acting on emotions - or outwardly displaying them - has never led me to a positive outcome. I try to think before I do anything, and emotions are not thought.

Obviously, ignoring emotions doesn't work - they do, and will always exist - so I try to treat emotions as exactly what they are: an unruly part of the brain responding to the world. I try to take note of my emotions, and think about them rationally. In this way, I become disconnected from them. As though I were reading about them in a book. Once in do this it feels as though it's a different character, other than myself, feeling the emotion.

"Hmmm. I seem to be feeling angry. Why? Oh - because [insert reason for anger here]. Interesting"

Stepping back and looking at emotions from a rational perspective also affords me a chance to realize how little acting on the emotion will accomplish. 

"If I yell or throw something, will anything change?"

Now this doesn't always work, and wouldn't work for everyone, of course, but it's a neat trick. 

As an aside, while writing this post about emotion, I have realized that I midly aspire to be Vulcan (or maybe I aspire to be mildly Vulcan).