Glad-Sad-Mad-Okay-Presence

So often the way we feel depends on how things are going in our lives. I’m “glad” when nice things happen to me… “Nice” being defined as things that a part of me likes and enjoys… or that something turns out the way ‘I’ hoped it would turn out … At other times, I see someone do well or they are happy and glad about something, and I join in the celebratory mood.

Feeling “sad” can be a similar dynamic in which outside circumstance are not going as I had hoped… or I have lost something I wanted to continue to enjoy. Likewise, when I see things happen in the world that seem unfair, abusive, or harmful in other way, we can feel some empathy on the “sad’ side of the spectrum.

Anger is another emotion in which something happens that goes against some mindset we are holding… It may be an outcome I was hoping for which didn’t occur. It might be seeing something being done to others or myself that seems unfair and harmful.

Emotions are usually based in our mindset and values. When the emotion is present it tells us something about who we are. So emotions are a normal expression that can teach us… if we choose to look… If we think that anything is absolute, then we miss the opportunity to learn and grow. By looking we begin to identify those beliefs and values to which we are most attached and aligned. Self-examination provides the opportunity for greater awareness and choice.

At times there may be a more stoic sense of neutrality… “I’m okay”…neither positive nor negative…. just present… It can be a positive acceptance of what is… an “Okayness”… almost an “I’m okay; you’re okay; it’s okay” moment… a neutral detached, yet engaged and observing presence. This presence is a state of awareness that to others may appear as a detachment from emotions…. It may also be accompanied by a detachment from mental chatter and trying to figure things out or understand a situation… The state of presence just is… being present in a situation with a peace and calmness that allows for clear response.

In reality, there is much more that we do not ‘know’ than what we do know… yet our feelings often point to the underlying assumptions, beliefs, and thought-forms we hold in our egoic mental make-up. We may reflect or mirror someone’s emotions they are sharing with us in empathy and support…yet we do not need to take on their emotions as our own.

At times, I have been seen as aloof or detached, when in fact I may be fully engaged and feeling something quite intense within. Some of us tend to be more process observers. Introverts tend to process things within, often showing less demonstrable reactions to situations. Extroverted folks tend to process things out-loud and prefer the presence of others to share their thoughts and feelings.

It is good to feel our feelings… Its natural… Our emotions are a vital and important aspect of our make-up. They teach us about what is going on and what basic values and beliefs we have. They help us connect with one another… And, we are more than our feelings. We are always much more than we ‘think’ we are…. Stay tuned…

John HutchinsonSundance Center for Conscious Living - www.sunhutch.com
john@sunhutch.com
May 24, 2014