Getting Emotionally Involved
March 3, 2008
I was having a lively discussion with my Republican friend while he drove us about the city. He posited the idea that people who get emotionally involved when the argue are immature. When you have maturity you can distance yourself from your argument and keep your feelings separate from your ideas. It was pretty clear that he was referring to my propensity to get worked up because he doesn’t think climate change is an important issue, like, say, the economy.
I kept my cool because to lose my head would add to his point. I argued that there are plenty of people who can be rational about most subjects but have one or two hot-button issues. He said that a mature person would step back and say, “I can’t talk about this because the subject upsets me.” And we bantered like this for a while until I managed to change the subject. But I felt insulted and miffed all night.
First of all, I want to talk about it. My feelings of anger are entirely justified. We are killing off massive numbers of species. We are destroying the future for our children as well as our habitat. This is the worst crisis to have ever faced mankind. Damnitt, I have every right to be emotional!
Furthermore, those who are not emotional are still in denial. They don’t understand that we have already passed the tipping point. They think we can stop this by recycling the paper cups they get their lattes in. They think that because things have been getting better throughout their lives that it can’t take a turn for the worst. Intellectually, they know what global warming is. But they don’t understand how close it is. They don’t understand that it is not this far away idea. It is here. It is now. Now is the time to stop it. And we are not stopping it. We can’t. We don’t know how and still keep our way of life. And we can’t conceive of giving up our way of life.
Ask yourself this: What if the only way to stop this thing is to change our whole way of life? What if it means giving up whatever it is you have dreamed of doing—writing a book, becoming a dancer, running for office—and returning to a simple way of life? I’m talking a way of life like they had in the Paleolithic Era. No more toilet paper. No more grocery stores. No more television. How many people would say, “Yes. I’m ready to do that. I’m ready to do that tomorrow.” Even people that believe, that have moved past denial would mostly say, “No. I need time. There is so much I want to do with my life. Let me just accomplish some of my goals. But I need more time.”
But if you believe, as I do, that the life we are now living is going to cause the worst disaster the human race has ever known, then how do you react without emotion? If that is not a reason to be emotional, what is?
Here’s two depressing links for you to damper up your day.
The writer of the Gaia Hypothesis says we’re all pretty much screwed.
March 5, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I think the important thing to ask when debating is what is the purpose of the debate. Obviously, you can’t get too emotional in a courtroom, but I think that in banter with friends or acquaintances, you should be allowed the freedom to let your professional guard down and become more emotional about things that are important to you.
I’d also like to point out that people always use the “don’t get emotional” card when it is a topic that doesn’t interest them. For instance, say there are two people who inadvertently get into a discussion about gun control. Let’s suppose that one of the parties is pro-gun and gets riled up about how Congress’ actions since the college shootings limit the 2nd Amendment and freedom from government invasion. Obviously the other party who is pro-gun control legislation will say “don’t get emotional about it” because the topic of individual freedom and the right to bear arms seems silly and worthless.
Furthermore, emotion and passion are vital to social movements. Perhaps one of the biggest problems liberals face today is the professionalization of social movements. It is this professional image that enables us to lobby Congress, but it is also the professional image that keeps us from being passionate about our work.
Think back to the most influential social movements in our nation’s history. They didn’t happen because people said, “I can’t talk about this right– I’m getting too upset.” Those movements happened because a precious few were “emotional” and had the ability to inspire others around them to be passionate, to rant, to rave and to call for action.
I don’t care what he says– you keep doing what you are doing. After all, how many people has he inspired to do something? I know for a fact that you have.