Emotions

We humans are emotional beings which can lead us to both the most positive AND most negative actions. We, despite what we might allow, are not slaves to our emotions, we can control them, we can, so to speak: get a grip. We should not let particular emotions control our behavior. Our emotions are not our masters. When an emotion arises, we should stop and examine it to determine its origin. 

Anger, for example, is often based upon our inflated expectations around how something should turn out. 

When driving to work, all the other drivers should be aware of our presence and our unbelievable driving skills. Someone passes you on the right because you are going 60 in the passing lane and we unleash a string of curses never mind that we have passed people using the slow lane a thousand times. Anger is often the result of not totally accepting the idea that things don't always go the way we want. When anger rises up, take five seconds and embrace the fact that our position is not based upon reality--things don't always go the way we want. 

Cain slaying Abel by Peter Paul Rubens

When someone succeeds, we diminish their success never addressing our own envy: What kind of a person buys a Rolex? We allow ill will to fester in our hearts without acknowledging that people do work harder than we do, that people are smarter than we are, but that we are still good people leading good lives. We should not allow envy to be the emotion that gets between us and having meaningful relationships with others. Remember the story of Cain and Abel--jealousy overcame Cain and he killed his brother. If he had just stopped and said, "Hey, maybe God isn't a vegetarian." 

We should not be ruled by our emotions whether they are love or hate. Think through your emotions and you will likely discover they are not what you think, but rather the result of poor logic.

You are in love and your love is the only person on Earth for you, the only person on this planet that understands you, that is a fit for you, so you overwhelm them and drive them away. Then you turn to anger and all logic runs away. Better to see that person as one of perhaps millions that you are compatible with and not the one-and-only. Yes, love them, but do not idolize them to the point of having, once again, inflated expectations. 

Take charge of your heart by using the mind nature provided. Keep well.