Our feelings make us unique and human. In fact, social scientists tell us that controlling our emotions is important and plays a significant role in helping us function as human beings.
Making sense of the world and the situations we face requires a complex set of skills that we learn since an early age. For example, if a child touches a candle flame, he learns that fire may be attractive but it can cause pain if not handled properly. After one experience of being burnt, each time the child sees a flame at close proximity, the same feeling of fear surfaces to forewarn him. Thus feelings make it unnecessary for us to undergo the same experience over and over again to realise that something may be undesirable.
Hence, self-control is invaluable for our self-protection and is a short cut to helping us comprehend the world. It helps tag positive and negative feelings to everything we come into contact with.
Our emotions are instinctive and rooted in physiological responses. In our modern world, things can change overnight, and the values we attach to them should change accordingly. However, once we learn to feel a certain way about a subject, it is often difficult to adjust our emotions. Hence, we need to exercise self-restraint when we face bias and prejudice.
Another emotion that can compromise our interest is anger. It overwhelms and can cloud a person's judgement, so it is best not to act rashly when one is angry.
Courage is an interesting feeling. A courageous person is someone who has overcome the emotion of fear. This person is not afraid of incurring inconvenience or pain for the sake of others.
Emotions, though they make us human, require tempering with clear thinking. And that's what self-control is all about.
Making sense of the world and the situations we face requires a complex set of skills that we learn since an early age. For example, if a child touches a candle flame, he learns that fire may be attractive but it can cause pain if not handled properly. After one experience of being burnt, each time the child sees a flame at close proximity, the same feeling of fear surfaces to forewarn him. Thus feelings make it unnecessary for us to undergo the same experience over and over again to realise that something may be undesirable.
Hence, self-control is invaluable for our self-protection and is a short cut to helping us comprehend the world. It helps tag positive and negative feelings to everything we come into contact with.
Our emotions are instinctive and rooted in physiological responses. In our modern world, things can change overnight, and the values we attach to them should change accordingly. However, once we learn to feel a certain way about a subject, it is often difficult to adjust our emotions. Hence, we need to exercise self-restraint when we face bias and prejudice.
Another emotion that can compromise our interest is anger. It overwhelms and can cloud a person's judgement, so it is best not to act rashly when one is angry.
Courage is an interesting feeling. A courageous person is someone who has overcome the emotion of fear. This person is not afraid of incurring inconvenience or pain for the sake of others.
Emotions, though they make us human, require tempering with clear thinking. And that's what self-control is all about.
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