about Emotions? (part two)

ARRR! Blackbeard still not good at controllin' me violent temper! Me response to gettin' angry is to pick up a belaying pin and use it as an improvised weapon, and club the object of my anger into submission. Not a good idea in a law abidin' country!

Go back to the book for some further advice.

(begin quote, in me own words)

While flying to Hawaii with my mentor, the pilot pointed out Hoover Dam as we were going over the area.

I was still curious and asked him to tell me more about how a person can control their emotions.

As he looked down at Hoover Dam, he said, “You’re emotions are like water.”

I said, “What do you mean?”

He said, “Before the dam was built, the river provided people down river with drinking water, and water to irrigate their crops. But whenever there was a heavy rain, that same river would destroy the crops, destroy homes, and even kill people. Then someone decided to control the flow of the river and built the dam. By controlling the flow of water through the gates, they can provide water to drink, water to irrigate, as well as a beautiful lake where families can come to camp, fish, water ski, or jet ski, or go boating, and it also generates enough electricity to power several major cities.

Controlling the flow of water provides a lot of benefits to a lot of people. Your emotions are the same way. You can let them flow freely and whenever there is a flood, or an emotional crisis, your emotions can destroy everything and everyone around you. They can ruin your career, your family, your health, and so on. Or you can learn to control your response to the flow of emotions to the benefit of yourself and everyone around you. You can’t stop feeling the emotion of anger, but you can choose to control your actions and what you say regardless of what you are feeling. It’s not easy, but it can be done with practice”

I remembered a verse that I had heard from the pulpit, ‘Be ye angry, and sin not.’

I said, “But sometimes you’ll get walked on badly if you don’t show some anger. You will become somebody’s punching bag.”

He said, “Look out there. There is nothing more peaceful, calm, or serene than water in a lake, as smooth as glass, that mirrors the surrounding mountains. But there is nothing more deadly than that water if it was suddenly released from that dam holding it. Nothing on earth could stand up to it and survive. The same ingredient, water, can be peaceful or deadly. The same is true of human emotions. What makes them peaceful or deadly is the amount of control.

There may come a time in your life when allowing your emotions to become a tidal wave would be the proper response and you should have the capability to do that. But you have to be in control so that it is your conscious decision whether you respond calmly, or violently. You should never allow your emotions to determine how you act or react.”

(end quote)

Aye, Blackbeard be still workin' on improvin' me own reactions to hornswagglers and thieves. I prefer to cleave em' to the brisket and heave em' overboard.

Thanks for the question, hope it helps.