Once upon a time, emotions were the key to our survival. They are fast, much faster than thoughts, and can assess a situation at lightning speed, before our rational analysis, before our senses even; they are a lost superpower we forgot how to wield. 

Much as we like to think of ourselves as rational, emotions still run the show silently in the background. 

Nothing that matters, nothing of value is ever achieved without their input, even if we like to make a big deal out of explaining them away in retrospect.

What do emotions advise us on? Trust, danger, opportunity, odds of success, probability of future events, health, our place in society. 

It is emotion, not thought, that guides our purpose and empowers our will.

We dismiss it at our peril, because it shows up to inform, and the information is usually related to fundamental issues: survival, life’s direction, goals, affinities and trust. 

People often mistake suppressing emotions with demonstrating willpower and are surprised to see the consequences of that attempt run opposite to what they were trying to accomplish.

One can’t erase emotions and one shouldn’t try. They’re soul energy, and like all energy, they can’t be destroyed. Their powerful fuel can be channeled, sublimated and used, focused towards one’s goals. They are precious and powerful and they should be revered and protected.

Pilfering away emotional power is like wasting time: you only have so much of it and once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.

Contrary to popular belief, these powerful levers are hardly outside of our control. They’re just as easy or hard to develop as reason, and they take just as long. 

One attends school for decades to gain the requisite knowledge, but one expects emotions to roll over on command at the drop of a hat.

When you devote time and attention to them, you start to see their effects, expect them, and understand how to make them work to your benefit and not your peril.

You make connections between the outcomes and their invisible causes, you cultivate the beneficial emotions and learn to amplify them at will. You find safe outlets for the negative ones and learn how to transmute their energy so it’s not wasted.

Just like the wind, you can’t see your true emotions, only their consequences, and every lesson is learned the hard way, through life experiences.

They are reflected in loving relationships, physical and financial health, trusted friendships, enjoyable and peaceful surroundings, safety and long life. 

No amount of intelligence can make up for not having your emotions under control, and learning to master them is an elusive, life long process that is hard to put into words.

If reason is at odds with emotions, emotions always win. We’ve all been taught that continuing to dig in the wrong place is a test of resolve. We are in fact throwing good money after bad, ironically increasing the frustration that kept us from our goal in the first place.

Desire, loyalty, perseverance, admiration, inquiring spirit, aspirations, all the drivers of society are powered by emotions and by those who understand them and know how to use them.

Negative emotions are a legacy of our ancestral survival instincts. 

Never dismiss them! They are a lot more powerful than positive ones and, left unchecked, manifest as destruction.

It’s tempting to use negative emotions, because they are so powerful and fast their consequences can be seen immediately, and their active use doesn’t require time, knowledge, patience or trust. 

They’re usually deployed as weapons, loaded on top of other emotions, also negative, and their combined firepower inflicts exponential damage on both their user and the intended target.

Because they work so fast and require no training, and because they feed upon themselves and all the ugly instincts and frustrations people shove in the dark corners of their minds to maintain a presentable persona, negative emotions end up running out of control, in a cascade effect of damage, tragedy and failure, like a wheel picking up speed while rolling down a rocky hill. 

So, if they’re so destructive, why did we need to have negative emotions in the first place? 

They are useful in life-threatening situations when they instinctively kick in to bypass learned civilized behavior and increase our chances of survival.

In conclusion, what are the points worth remembering?

1. Emotions are faster and more powerful than reason and senses.
2. They are the guidance system to our survival. They detect danger, assess trustworthiness, orient us towards our goals, and define our life path.
3. You can’t see your true feelings, only their consequences. Your emotional life is not hidden inside; it’s right in front of your eyes, reflected in your circumstances, relationships, and even physical surroundings.
4. Don’t waste your feelings on trivial matters. They come in a limited supply, and just like time, once they’re gone, you can’t get them back. Most of the ills that drain our days are not worth the emotional damage we allow them to inflict.
5. Wasted emotional energy results in a loss of willpower.
6. Negative emotions are addictive, fast, and powerful. They require no skill to deploy, and for this reason they are always abused. This misuse of power eventually runs out of control in a cascade of failure, tragedy and loss.
7. You can’t dissimulate genuine emotions because their consequences manifest as real outcomes in your environment.
8. What you love and pay attention to grows and thrives. What you neglect withers on the vine.