Why did God give us feelings?

[Jump4Joy]

Perception does not always reflect reality. Our perception of the world is not ahow it is. The truth trumps emotions as does logic. Why give us emotions if it can blind us from seeing accurately? Is being right more important than how someone feels? The goal of maturity is overcome our emotions

 

[blackforest]

Emotions are a mixed bag. Sometimes they get us into trouble, to be sure. But think of the good they do for us.

Without feelings, why bother praying? Why bother loving our neighbor? Loving Christ? Finding joy in our faith? Why even bother with faith?

Emotions also give us a conscience. Without emotions like guilt, remorse, or compassion, why not just kill everyone who gets in our way? Reason might tell you’d save money killing off an elderly relative, but your emotions give you the conscience to make such an action unthinkable.

Are you a reader? I’m thinking back to English lit. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge doesn’t care about the starvation and deaths of the poor, justifying his callousness with the need to “decrease the surface population.” These words later come back to haunt him, quite literally in the form of a visiting ghost, as he begins to form a conscience.

Just think: Without emotions, the human race would have rendered itself extinct centuries ago! Emotion is largely there for survival. Love for one’s kids keeps the little bubs out of the streets and away from sharp objects and blazing flames.

On the flipside, our own sense of reason can blind us from seeing accurately. Everybody of every political belief system claims to be wielding “facts” and “evidence.”

Reason and feelings aren’t good or bad in and of themselves. They just are. We’re each responsible for how we use them.

 

[Jump4Joy]

This is why I need to see a counselor. The ruminating on my perception. Perception is not reality. Am I too sensitive or is this person too callous? I wonder a lot about the past if I handled a situation correctly. What I see as aggressive behavior could be something else but I react to the aggression I perceive. I drove myself nuts because I cannot trust my intuition or too fearful of making a mistake.

 

[tweedlealice]

My first gut feeling is: Emotions take a reality and gives us HOPE.
No emotions we’d be like a robot. There would be no good or bad??” Morning! It’s raining heavily.”Goodbye! “You will get wet.” “Yes, I will.
In fact, we’d only speak in declarative sentences. No Joy w exclamation marks. No questions b/c you live on a flat plain or senses. It is here & now. HMMM
DEEP
In Christ’s Love
Tweedlealice

 

[blackforest]

Well, without perception, understanding reality would be a completely hopeless endeavor. But I do see what you’re driving home.

According to a famous proverb, there are three truths - your truth, my truth, and the truth. We’re all striving to comprehend the latter, but the effort gets filtered through perception. This isn’t a case for relativism, as I’m still acknowledge that there’s a “the truth.”

A good therapist will guide you in changing your thought processes, which in turn affects your feelings for the better. And yes, you’ll be better able to discern whether you’re in the right without having to ruminate over it. I say go for it. I’m so happy that I did it.

 

[Jump4Joy]

That’s exactly what I ruminate about. How accurately does my perception match reality

 

[OsculeturMeOsculo]

Because of the Fall our senses and emotions have been corrupted and that is why they cause so many problems.

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

I love this topic very much.
I’ve read that emotions are like the gauges on the car’s dashboard, telling us we have too much of this stimuli, too little of that, or maybe everything’s just right.

The problem is, though, that emotions are easily confused with reality–like if you’ve ever been through a major crisis like a job loss or family death, and you were very brave and strong through it, but then something dumb and unimportant happens, like misplacing the remote, and then you flip out angry and crying over it…

 

[Jump4Joy]

I think it is interesting that you mention that every political party declares to be about facts and evidence. Appealing or subduing to emotion makes you weak and unreliable.
That’s a common argument used to dismiss women. We’re too emotional.
As for why this is important to me?
I used to be involved with someone I strongly believe was abusive. Their defense was always I’m too sensitive to their jokes, I misinterpreted them, it’s my perception. It left me questioning my own judgment. I think gaslighting, manipulation, etc are common tactics of abusive people. To make you feel crazy and to feel like you cannot trust your emotions

 

[Elf01]

MargretOfCartona?

 

[Edward_H]

Emotions can actually give us a tone of God, insight into Him.

But as a great priest I know told me…emotions are like dogs; they need an owner.

As he explained…emotions are good…God made them. But because of the lingering effects of Original Sin, our intellect and will do not have perfect dominion over our emotions, appetites, desires.

These must be “trained” to serve God. That takes effort, takes work, but it’s possible, leveraging many “means” that the Church has given us…forms of prayer, practices of self-mastery, denial, grace from the Sacraments, spiritual direction, practice, habits, a spirit of beginning again with God, etc.

The goal of maturity isn’t so much to overcome your emotions, but to make them serve the good and the true.

We aren’t stoics who had a bit of a corrupted understanding of the appetites.

We’re Catholics…and our understanding is that we have to learn to sanctfy our appetites and passions.

They are great good…but like dogs, if they don’t have an owner…they tend to make “messes” all over our life.

Interestingly, St Thomas compared the intellect with the appetites.

He said that our intellect is a “rational appetite” (an attraction or desire for the truth, a tendency or internal movement toward the truth).

Our emotions and appetites in contrast were considered by Aquinas to be “sensitive appetites”, an inclination toward pleasure, another good. But there is the proper ordering of those pleasures in order to ensure they are leading us toward the true good.

 

[Tulitas]

Did you have a question?

 

[guanophore]

Perception does not always reflect reality. Our perception of the world is not ahow it is.

You are right that our perceptions do not always reflect reality, and that sometimes our perceptions are not accurate representations of the world. This is one reason that it is so important to have some spiritual anchors for Truth. Logic is helplful, but it is also impacted by our life experiences, emotions, and education (or lack of it).

Why give us emotions if it can blind us from seeing accurately?

Emotions are an essential part of our healthy functioning as human beings. They inform us about what is important/valuable to ourselves, and they give us information about what is going on inside us, between ourselves and others, and things that are happening around us. They are a more instinctual and intuitive based way of knowing things. It is equally dangerous to ignore our emotions, because they can be telling us very valuable information.

Is being right more important than how someone feels?

The two are not always mutually exclusive. In fact, healthy emotions are very important for telling us what “being right” is. They work in tandem with our conscience, using guilt to let us know when we have made a mis-step. But yes, being right - thinking right and doing right is more important, because the emotions are the caboose. Will/choice is the engine, and thinking/logic follows the will do do right. The emotions will come along when they are attached to the train.

The goal of maturity is overcome our emotions

I agree that maturity means that we are not led around by emotions, or that we are out of control of our emotions, but when you say “overcome”, is that what you mean?

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What is important is balance. Wisdom is living in the balance between logic and emotion.

 

[Kei]

Feelings are a GOOD THING.
However, they should flow from reason. Then they will be used correctly.

 

[guanophore]

This is why I need to see a counselor. The ruminating on my perception. Perception is not reality.

A counselor can be helpful for sorting out all of these matters. DBT is also very helpful for achieving balance between logic and emotion. We must not be too quick to dismiss perception, as it has important things to tell us about our reality.

Ruminating is not good for our souls, and only leads us further away from the joy and peace God wants for us.

Am I too sensitive or is this person too callous?

Both things could be true, but you need your emotions to help discern.

Since you cannot control other people, your attention is best focused on how you can adjust your own sensitivities. Focusing your attention on another person who has hurt you is not a good use of your soulful energy.

What I see as aggressive behavior could be something else but I react to the aggression I perceive.

This is one reason your emotions are so important. They can give you clues about what is happening in a relationship with your reason/logic may not. You can intuit certain things before your thoughts will catch up to you. Emotions can sometimes protect you from making a bad decision, as much as they can precipitate bad decisions. You can’t be led only by emotion, but it is important to take into account what they are telling you.

I drove myself nuts because I cannot trust my intuition or too fearful of making a mistake.

Often intuition is very accurate, even though your reason cannot explain it. You are right, it is not good to be too fearful of making a mistake, but it is important to listen to that intuition.

That’s exactly what I ruminate about. How accurately does my perception match reality

There are some logic tools you can use to help you evaluate your perceptions. Using some of those will keep you from ruminating so much. Immersing yourself in scripture will also help with this. It drives out useless ruminitive thoughts and will help you discern between what @blackforest calls “your truth” and THE truth.

Appealing or subduing to emotion makes you weak and unreliable.

I agree that being controlled by emotion is always counterproductive, but it is our emotions that are sometimes “appealing” to us, and it is important that we take them into account.

That’s a common argument used to dismiss women. We’re too emotional.

It is, but it is a spurious argument. The same can be accused of men, who can be discounted because they are not emotional enough. God intended for us to have balance. Women are more connected to intuition, where men are more connect to the rational faculties, but we each have both.

 

[guanophore]

I used to be involved with someone I strongly believe was abusive. Their defense was always I’m too sensitive to their jokes, I misinterpreted them, it’s my perception. It left me questioning my own judgment.

Actually blaming the victim is one of the hallmarks of an abusive relationship.

I think gaslighting, manipulation, etc are common tactics of abusive people. To make you feel crazy and to feel like you cannot trust your emotions

Yes, you are right, these are common tactics of abusive relationships. But this is a very important reason to listen to your emotions, and not dismiss them.

 

[tweedlealice]

Blessings
Our perception of our reality comes from our life experiences & feelings. A person’s week is sad. If they hear their name mentioned, the thoughts may be a negative paranoia. Conversely, same scenario but it was a good week, hearing their name, they may say,” Hey, did I hear my name, what’s up & laugh”.
Emotions change the perception of reality.Now, if a person has introspection & realizes their emotions, they can pull emotions out and get a clearer picture.
Asking ppl involved in a situation that is affecting them, can help. “I’m off kilter today.
I just heard something in the cafeteria.I’m a little sensitive.Is some gossip going around sbout me?”
THATS ALL I GOT
God bless you
Tweedlealice

 

[fhansen]

Emotions are real. When they reflect the truth they give life and structure to our motivations and actions One goal of maturity is to have our emotions align with truth.