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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgbrowning" data-source="post: 664081" data-attributes="member: 5724">Well the thing that really got me thinking about it was pretty silly.  If someone walks up and says "You're fat and your wife is ugly!" its not inconcievable that you may have an emotional response.But if someone were to walk up to you and and say "You're fat and your wife is ugly!" in Swahili (and you don't speak Swahili <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />), there would be no emotional response.  I'd probably just say "Pardon?" and smile and wait for the guy to say something i understand.This little silly scenerio sent me down the long train of thought that there's pretty much no way emotions are "given" as opposed to "created".  If it so blantantly dependent upon my successful interpretation of a scenerio, it cant be coming from outside.  Reminds me of the Flowers for Algeron part where all the guys are laughing and making fun of the main character (who's retarded) and the guy's too retarded to realize they're making fun of him so he's laughing and having fun as well.I'd rather be laughing and retarded than smart and unhappy. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> It's going to take me a hell of a long time to get there.....I'm, of course, not saying that people don't influence each other. I doubt if anyone here really believes that.  I just think that, although a person may be influencing me, i don't have to be anyway that i dont want to be.  I kinda view it as when you're younger and you came home and told your folks a bully was calling you names and they just said "Don't let him get to you."  It pretty much just say that to myself a lotCourse most of the time, its you that's influencing you. If you don't want to feel sad, people go out and try to do something fun. Well, there you're doing the same thing i do internally in an external form.Some people try to set up situations that will facillitate their being happy... good music, good friends a beer or two <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />.  All that is is external emotion control by creating an environment where it's easier to be happy.  I do the same, i just try to do it internally because, in the end, its all internal. And once you get it, you don't feel so dependant upon circumstances to dictate how you feel.The cool thing is that after you do it awhile the old things that used to bother you, stop bothering you.  Someone can do something that would have pissed you off a year ago and now your emotional state is unfased by it.  A guy may cut you off in traffic and you may have yelled a bit at him a year ago, but now you barely even notice it.It's almost like there's a new filter in place.  the "It won't do you any good to get upset about this so you won't even feel the emotion to begin with filter".  Thankfully this filter, filters out only the bad stuff!!!!!!That's because in the end, the filter is just my will. Of course, my will can be broken under concerted attack (physical torture or such:hell a guy punching me in nose would piss me off, but i wouldn't hold on to being angry very long.  I don't want to feel angry, i want to feel happy) but i dont think that invalidates my point, but instead just shows that i'm not that strong.joe b.</blockquote>

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