Got to love emotion...I mean after all - emotion is the foundation of love, faith and charity. Or is it? When you ask someone why they love someone - usually they give you a few TANGIBLE things that person does. When you ask someone about their faith - they often list a few things that have happened to them . Charity is great - but while I suppose caring is a part - if money were not required then there would be no need for one to be able to give online with MC/Visa. I will admit that I am not very emotional. I suppose I also should admit that I do tend to show some emotion when my plans are not executed - but in the end -the emotion serves no real purpose - the action must still take place.
When my 6 year old was playing soccer this past week I got a little emotional - I did not yell or holler at her, but my body language showed that I did not like the fact she was not taking the game as serious as she had her other games. In the scheme of life - it really does not matter about that one game. Unless that one game becomes a habit. Even if it does, it still will not truly matter. What will matter is at some point in time, someone will say something to her about not giving everything she has all the time and she may become emotional. Notice that the emotion did NOT come first - the action did. Isn't that the way life is anyway? We never really act emotionally until an action occurs, at least that has been my experience....My little girl may become good at soccer or she may not - the lesson I want her to learn - even at 6, is that actions have consequences. It will not matter if she quits or plays for years - in life you can quit or continue and it is not the immediate consequences that will cause you problems - the real issues will be how you handle it. So my test with her is not whether she plays or doesn't - but how she handles the reactions - both hers and others.
Some of you reading this may say that is too harsh - too much pressure on one so little. I say what pressure? Watching the reactions and coaching "out" the emotions will be one of the best skills I can teach her. Some of you reading this are getting emotional right now - wanting to tell me that emotions are natural, healthy and wise. The more I disagree with you the redder you will become, the more passionate your pleas will become and your logical persuasions will get lost in the utter chatter of hyperbole and myopic viewpoints. All the while I will merely sit back and wonder who could have taught you to be more action oriented and less emotional.
Of course, to many, affairs of the heart and soul are the only factors that matter in life and the hereafter - and I suppose they could be right. Although, when it comes to accomplishment - rarely does achievement occur on faith alone. In my almost 50 years of living I have found that hoping, praying and waving the flag is really about wanting someone to do something. Would it not just make more sense to just go straight to the action? FIRST cause Actions rarely cause people disagreements (although some do), but the emotional, passionate words - then the emotion filled, ill advised, actions that follow the request or denial are the "things" that do the most harm.
This will get a terse response from some - but I will just smile - and say God Bless - like a good southern boy does and thinks for almost the past 50 years....Good night MVP - may you grow as you see fit (ok with a little help from me)....
No comments:
Post a Comment