Feelings vs. emotion: an important difference
I felt more manipulated than informed by the news reports.
I turned off the TV after the evening news. I wanted real concepts to chew on. But I felt more manipulated than informed. I wanted to think, not feel, as I digested the news.
Awhile later I began to worry about that response. Too much emphasis on feeling might lead to extremism; but too much emphasis on thinking and analyzing could make a person heartless and uncaring.
The Bible gives an important example of the balance I was seeking: the life of Jesus, who certainly was both one of the clearest thinkers and one of the most caring individuals the world has ever known.
Christ Jesus is described as being "moved with compassion," and healing was the consistent result. (See, for example, Mark 1:41 .) In ancient times as today, people felt the tug of emotionalism and sensationalism. But Jesus was never pushed around by it. In fact, a basic theme that runs throughout the Gospel of Luke is the activity of the Holy Spirit, a force that is found leading (rather than pushing!). The gospel record also shows Jesus withdrawing from the activity of everyday life once in a while to pray, to refresh himself, and to feel close to God.
This statement expresses very well the concerns I had about the emotionalism I had seen in the television news reports: "If beset with misguided emotions, we shall be stranded on the quicksands of worldly commotion, and practically come short of the wisdom requisite for teaching and demonstrating the victory over self and sin" (Mary Baker Eddy, Retrospection and Introspection, p. 79 ). Clear and precise thinking doesn't rule out feelings of the right sort, however. We can "feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy" (Science and Health, p. 249 ).
If "the divine energy of Spirit" is stirring us, we'll feel inspired. We'll find powerful evidence of God's presence in our lives. These are concepts to chew on. And as we do, we know our creator and find the solutions needed in public and more personal matters.
As a teacher I've often found myself in a situation where someone asks a favor that my heart longs to grant but my head says is unwise.
One danger of sensationalism lies in its tendency to anesthetize genuine feeling and make people heavy or sluggish ... either unwilling or unable to reason clearly. Whether in the news or in personal life, the shallow focus on what's most exciting really deals with emotion, not feeling. Although the two terms are sometimes used as if they were synonymous, they aren't. Genuine feeling, quite distinct from emotion, is the higher sentiment produced by that "divine energy of Spirit."
The absence of or disregard for genuine feeling characterizes all sorts of cruel emotions—hatred, revenge. The presence of joy, love, peace, and other feelings that come from God dissipate the hypnotic force of these emotions.
As a teacher I've often found myself in a situation where someone asks a favor that my heart longs to grant but my head says is unwise. Sometimes the request is strongly emotional, punctuated by descriptions of a broken heart, a family crisis, or a serious financial need. The conflict between logic and feeling—"the rules" and compassion—may seem beyond resolution. But God shows me there is always a higher perspective from which to resolve such matters.
Although its specifics may vary, the solution that comes from turning to God for direction blesses everyone. Divine direction elevates our understanding of God, who is Love. It keeps us from being misled by emotionalism, sweetens our grasp of the truth, and establishes our means of finding answers with courage and compassion. It even gives us a glimpse of eternity.
No issue is too complex, no need is too insignificant, to warrant asking for divine help. In doing so, one need not let the heart rule head, or vice versa. There can never really be a gap between knowing God and feeling God's direction. Because we are the very ideas of the divine Mind, the complete understanding of how to handle any given issue is something from which we can't be separated.
The feeling brought about by knowing God is absolutely essential to Christian life and citizenship, while apathy—whose literal meaning is "without feeling"—is stultifying, and dangerous to both individuals and to society.
No one has to be at the mercy of sensationalism, if she or he is feeling "the divine energy of Spirit." This feeling is natural to each of us as the expression of the divine Spirit. That "divine energy of Spirit" stirs thinking, purifies motives, and empowers us to help our friends, our community, our nation, and our world. It moves us beyond disgust or complacency. It enables us to support the goodness expressed by community leaders and to shape public policy that is just, honest, and compassionate.
