*******: Hi, long time no see.
CougarEditor: ye
CougarEditor: yep
CougarEditor: it certailny has been a while
*******: yes it has
CougarEditor: that's a pretty harsh quote you have on your profile
*******: hmm?
*******: I don't remember....wait a sec.. let me see
CougarEditor: the thing that pops up when you click "info"?
*******: It is NOT!
CougarEditor: whatever you say
*******: Is is not harsh!
*******: Its the truth!
CougarEditor: i'd have to disagree
*******: Why is that?
CougarEditor: i'd argue that emotions are the cause of making irrational descisions
CougarEditor: but they are something that we really can't control
*******: At some point. But most can be.
CougarEditor: we can suppress them, and make sure that they don't influence the way we act, but how long it takes it to get over isn't fully up to us
CougarEditor: dunno
*******: Well most people.
*******: There those who can control their emotions.
CougarEditor: perhaps
*******: Yes, so only the weak can not.
CougarEditor: no, i still disagree
CougarEditor: you can control their expression, but not their existence
*******: Well, you can't agree with everything I say. Why not just agree to disagree?
CougarEditor: no problem
CougarEditor: but doing so early in the conversation takes away the fun of argueing
*******: Yes. I don't need a agreement right now.
 

So what exactly is my theory regarding emotion?  It's rather strange (if I do say so myself).  Basically I believe that emotions are things that interfere with the way we act.  Actions should be based upon reason — pure and simple reason.  Failure to do so can result in situations like that we see in the middle east.  When people act based upon reason they make the best decisions — the decisions that will make them the happiest in the long run.  Emotions tend to interfere with our rational judgment — they cloud our judgment and cause us to embark upon irrational courses of action.  Following the heart has its place.  I do not mean to say that we should ignore the fact that we have emotions — after all, isn't happiness an emotion?  Emotions should be something that we take into consideration when we make a decision — we should consider them and what will make us the happiest — but we should not base our decisions upon our emotions.  I say this because our emotions are irrational and fluctuate wildly from day to day.

Everybody has emotions.  That's something that we can't control.  We can't control the fact that are going to have feelings of passion, anger, pride, jealousy, and mostly deadly of all, love.  But we can prevent those emotions from clouding our judgment by selectively suppressing them.  I don't mean to say that we should suppress all of our emotions and become like Vulcans, but we should do our best to suppress emotions that will cloud our judgment.  I mentioned love as the most dangerous of all because it's an emotion that takes our whole being.  When a relationship is terminated under unpleasant circumstances the effects can last for a long time.  If it's an involved relationship, no matter the circumstances, both parties usually walk out with some emotional problems.  If both persons had of been able to rationally evaluate the relationship and whether it was more likely to bring more pleasure or more headache then things could turn out better.  Also the worst is when it's one sided.  To have within you a burning flame that the other person simply cannot respond to is a living torture.  The result is unhappiness on a large scale and often repeated acts of stupidity.