This thing we call life is but a school, a training ground, a place of learning.
But, a training ground for what? What exactly are we learning? What are the tests? Is there an exam? How will I know when I’m finished? All perfectly normal questions.
Yet there is no set course work, no rules, no right or wrong answers – the whole thing is simply about inner growth and understanding.
This growth and understanding is in the form of emotions. As we experience the emotions and balance them out so we grow. All 7 billion of us
So how do we know when we have got there? My guide answered that with one word
ღ contentment ღ
an emotional state where you are at one within yourself
Its an energy state to which we will all go back to – how we all link together in harmony back at source.
We all know we arrive here with a contract signed and a guide to guide us. A gate keeper to protect us and parents to to help start the journey. But the clarity comes when you understand that the list of lessons you have on your contract is not physical things – they are a list of emotions.
Emotions are our lessons
And emotions come from your interactions and reactions with others – how we handle those emotions are our tests and once through them, we examine ourselves. Once we have examined and understood: we grow.
If we have not grown enough to balance that emotion, then it repeats. And if that happens, and we are cleaver enough, we learn to handle it in a different way and hopefully balance it out so we do not have to go through the repeat process again.
Be it sorrow, joy, hate, betrayal, misunderstanding, messy love, respect, mourning, euphoria…. the list goes on and on (see below) balance is possible and is the key to contentment.
But remember you are only one bit of the interaction – its not just about other people doing this to you – we will all break hearts, bring joy, upset people, mistrust, bring love etc
Remember everyone crosses paths for a reason, season or life time, you may not know or understand them all as they happen, and you may never until your life review but every single person you have met so far on your journey – this journey life – has shaped you – has created things within you – emotions – thoughts – all these make you the person you are today. And likewise everyone you have met – you have helped shape them, you have given them thoughts and feelings too – you helped make them the person they are today. So be mindful of those around you and not only how they effect you, but how you effect them.
We will all go through issues, drama, proud moments, happy moments, sad moments- moments when we feel alive and moments when we feel we will never live again – yet its all living – its all learning – its all growth. So when your at the end of your wits and in a place you feel you will never return from – go and sit in a public place and watch the people around you – switch off from your thoughts – sit and observe – know that every singe person who walks past you carries a big deep sorry within them and big joys – how they handled the stages of that story is their journey, their emotions, their lessons – how you handle yours; is your story and thus your lesson – but just beware everyone is learning, everyone is growing, everyone is on a journey we call life….
Tee ღ
List of emotions
Robert Plutchik’s theory says that the eight basic emotions are:
- Fear → feeling afraid. Other words are terror (strong fear), shock, phobia
- Anger → feeling angry. A stronger word is rage.
- Sadness → feeling sad. Other words are sorrow, grief (a stronger feeling, for example when someone has died) or depression(feeling sad for a long time). Some people think depression is a different emotion.
- Joy → feeling happy. Other words are happiness, gladness.
- Disgust → feeling something is wrong or dirty
- Trust → a positive emotion; admiration is stronger; acceptance is weaker
- Anticipation → in the sense of looking forward positively to something which is going to happen. Expectation is more neutral.
- Surprise → how one feels when something unexpected happens
Book Two of Aristotle’s “Rhetoric”
This theory says that the emotions are:
- Anger, opposite calmness (not feeling excited).
- Friendship, opposite enmity (feeling hate)
- Fear, opposite courage (having no fear)
- Shame, opposite confidence (shame: how one feels about one’s past bad actions or thoughts; shamelessness: one does not feel shame, but others think one should.)
- Kindness (benevolence), opposite cruelty (kindness: when people are good to other people)
- Pity (when people feel sorry for other people)
- Indignation (feeling angry because something is not fair, such as undeserved bad fortune)
- Envy, jealous (pain when people have something that one wishes for oneself)
- Love, a strong emotion of attachment one feels for someone else. Ranges to family, pets, friends, boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband.
The engineered language Lojban
This constructed language has words showing these emotions:
- Simple emotions
- discovery – anger
- envy – no surprise – expectation
- wonder – surprise – commonplace
- happiness – sadness
- amusement – weariness
- courage – timidity – cowardice
- pity – cruelty
- Complex emotions
- pride – modesty- shame
- closeness – detachment – distance
- complaint/pain – doing average – pleasure
- caution – boldness – rashness
- patience – mere tolerance – anger
- relaxation – composure – stress
- envy – goodwill
- Pure emotions
- fear – nervousness – security
- togetherness – privacy
- respect – disrespect
- appreciation – envy
- love – no love lost – hatred
- hope – despair
- confusion – being confused
Feelings and Emotions Vocabulary Word List
A
acceptance admiration adoration affection afraid agitation |
agreeable aggressive aggravation agony alarm |
alienation amazement amusement anger angry |
anguish annoyance anticipation anxiety apprehension |
assertive assured astonishment attachment attraction awe |
B
beleaguered bewitched |
bitterness | bliss | blue | boredom |
C
calculating calm capricious |
caring cautious charmed cheerful |
closeness compassion complacent compliant |
composed contempt conceited concerned |
content contentment crabby crazed |
crazy cross cruel |
D
defeated defiance delighted dependence |
depressed desire disappointment disapproval |
discontent disenchanted disgust disillusioned |
dislike dismay displeasure dissatisfied |
distraction distress disturbed dread |
E
eager earnest easy-going ecstasy ecstatic |
elation embarrassment emotion emotional enamored |
enchanted enjoyment enraged enraptured enthralled |
enthusiasm envious envy equanimity euphoria |
exasperation excited exhausted extroverted exuberant |
F
fascinated fatalistic fear |
fearful ferocity flummoxed |
flustered fondness fright |
frightened frustration |
furious fury |
G
generous glad gloating |
gloomy glum |
greedy grief |
grim grouchy |
grumpy guilt |
H
happiness happy |
harried homesick |
hopeless horror |
hostility humiliation |
hurt hysteria |
I
infatuated insecurity |
insulted interested |
introverted | irritation isolation |
J
jaded jealous |
jittery jolliness |
jolly joviality |
jubilation | joy |
K
keen | kind | kindhearted | kindly |
L
laid back lazy |
like liking |
loathing lonely |
longing loneliness |
love lulled lust |
M
mad | merry | misery | modesty | mortification |
N
naughty | neediness | neglected | nervous | nirvana |
O
open | optimism | ornery | outgoing | outrage |
P
panic passion passive |
peaceful pensive |
pessimism pity |
placid pleased |
pride proud pushy |
Q
quarrelsome | queasy | querulous | quick-witted | quiet | quirky |
R
rage rapture |
rejection relief |
relieved remorse |
repentance resentment |
resigned revulsion roused |
S
sad sadness sarcastic sardonic satisfaction |
scared scorn self-assured self-congratulatory self-satisfied sentimentality |
serenity shame shock smug sorrow |
sorry spellbound spite stingy stoical stressed |
subdued submission suffering surprise sympathy |
T
tenderness tense |
terror threatening |
thrill timidity |
torment tranquil |
triumphant trust |
U
uncomfortable | unhappiness | unhappy | upset |
V
vain | vanity | venal | vengeful vexed |
vigilance | vivacious |
W
wary watchfulness |
weariness weary |
woe wonder |
worried wrathful |
Z
zeal | zest |