Random Pips

There is a scene in the play, Inherit The Wind, where the Reverend whips the whole town into a frenzy at a prayer meeting. During a break from rehearsing the scene, my thoughts turned to mob mentality while I was munching on a sandwich.

Topics of mind control or ghost possessions aside, I think it is quite safe to set the premise that people’s actions are governed by either reason or emotions. For the majority of the time, we use reason to determine our next step. After all, it is the gift that allowed us to reach our current lofty position in Nature - not strength, speed, beauty, nor prolificity. 

The results of our reason-based actions can be large or small. However, the results of our emotions-based actions are often titanic. For example, let us turn to the classic scenario of the parent, the child, and a heavy object (like a car). The child somehow gets pinned under the car. Desperate to get the child out of danger, the parent instantly runs to the car and lifts one end of it high enough for the child to scramble out. All this time, the parent was fueled by the emotion of fear.

If the parent had used reason instead of emotions to take action, he/she probably wouldn’t have been able to lift up the car at all. Logically, the average human muscular system does not have the strength to accomplish such a daunting task. The parent would have dialed 911 or called together a group of volunteers to rescue the child instead.

As you can see, our emotions are a raw source of power. However, this also means that it is an uncontrolled source of power, which often results in catastrophic outcomes. This is exactly how many random acts of murder occur. The would-be murderer is so blinded by rage that he/she does not realize what is about to happen until the anger ebbs. By then, it would be too late - a new grave would have to be dug and a new prison cell would have to be prepared. 

Although reason is usually the preferred route to take, it is often much more spiritually satisfying to let go of reason and give in to emotions. Some people understand this very well and know how to manipulate it. The instigators of the Salem witch trials, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and the Al-Qaeda leaders are all masters at this manipulation - millions have wept and millions have died.

Many movies and stories touch upon this theme as well: Star Wars (the temptation of the Force’s Dark Side, which essentially draws power from raw emotions - particularly anger), Star Trek (the Vulcans suppressing their emotions in order to prevent violence), The Wave (turning a class into a group of fanatics), Lord Of The Flies (a marooned group giving in to their primal instincts and committing murder), etc. 

Some say that if we disregard reason and allow emotions to rule us, we would become animals. I must disagree with this statement. We would not become animals - we would become beasts. Because we are the only beings on this planet who would kill due to a difference in ideologies or beliefs.

Does this all mean that we are capable of violence and therefore, inherently dangerous? Yes. Does this mean we should completely suppress our emotions like the Vulcans? No.

I believe that it is both reason and emotions that ultimately make us human. Emotions without reason would turn us into wild beasts. Reason without emotions would turn us into cold automatons. What we need is not to stifle our emotions, but to use reason to understand the power emotions hold. Only then can we learn to control them and continue our advancement as humans.