on our reaction to emotions

as a culture we are uncomfortable with strong emotion of any kind. anger, sadness, even excitement and joy. we are taught to be quiet, to calm down, to take a deep breath and above all *control ourselves*. i think by doing so we rob ourselves and each other of the vitality of being alive. to fully feel an emotion we must and should express it. this is what makes us human and alive. even the most well meaning of friends cannot simply let you feel. they need to step in, to intervene, to fix it. there is nothing to be fixed. when we cry or yell or laugh for pure joy we are doing exactly what we were designed to do. sometimes you want to feel better, to have someone's shoulder to cry on and a hug from a close friend. sometimes that is the last thing we need. there is nothing wrong with feeling strongly and expressing it. we have somehow created a culture where it is not considered ok to do so, even in the privacy of our own homes, even around our closest friends and family. we are robbed of our humanity and crippled from fully living by this belief and attitude and i think we are wrong to continue it.