Aftershock

Fear- it’s a strange emotion. Recently, due to some unfortunate events, my friends and I went through a period of fear and doubt. Eventually, things went back to normal, rather, a whole new level of normal. Somehow, it seemed as though my friends and I were more bonded as a whole, and even though separations after school had resulted in being in separate cliques, I found that we were there for each other much more than we had been- even when we were together in school. My point here is this- Can emotions control the way we behave to such an extent? And if so, an emotion like fear, considered ‘negative’ actually result in something positive?

Emotions definitely determine a lot of the relationships we have with people. We act in a certain way depending on how we feel around a person, and our level of comfort with them. I personally, don’t think that emotions are the sole factor that one’s identity is based upon, although they do have a major role to play in the way an individual leads his life, his choices and their outcomes. After thinking about ‘negative’ emotions, like fear, and anger, I realized something. These emotions, if channeled correctly, do not necessarily have a negative impact on an individual and their surroundings. In fact, I would go as far to say that fear, in itself, is one of the few common factors that successfully unites people all over the world. It is a common emotion through various cultures, and can get people to act instantly, where a lot of other prompts might not. A basic example is the formation of the United Nations Organization. This was formed after world war 2- why? Simply because countries were so scared of another war and its implications. Here we see how countries with totally different ideals came together due to “fear” and channeled it in a positive way. Anger too, has proven to be the cause of outstanding performances in the fields of sports, pushing sportsmen to a limit they could not achieve otherwise. I’ve seen paintings, and poems, and beautiful ones at that, all painted and written in a state of anger.

Obviously, I’m not saying that it is necessary to be a victim of these extreme emotions to produce something of worth. However, I question the close minded view that these emotions are simply harmful to one’s being. Maybe this is me just being highly optimistic, but personally I feel that the aftermath of these emotions often result in something greater, like a strengthened friendship, that we might not have even experienced otherwise.