Have you seen the movie "Inside Out?" It's a great Pixar animation, and, if you have not yet seen it, I definitely recommend that you do so. It will be a great investment of one hour and 42 minutes of your time, I guarantee it. As a primer, the gist of the movie is about Riley and the inner workings of her mind. Specifically, it's about her emotions. But it's not so much her and her emotions that are central to the movie. Giving it the good ole animation twist, Pixar gave Riley’s emotions their own emotions! Who knew giving emotions their own emotions would make for a good movie? Well, Pixar sure did, and in fact, they have quite the history of "emotion-ing."

Anyway, the appeal of such movies, to me, at least, is that they allow viewers, both young and old, the opportunity to reflect further. Granted, given the amount of life experience one may have, or lack thereof, we all may have a different take on emotions and their significance. Nonetheless, I believe that, given what it is, as we can reliably demonstrate via the aforementioned movie, it is still a worthwhile subject matter to ponder upon.

So what is an emotion? Well, to tell you the truth, I am not exactly sure myself. No, I am not saying I’ve never felt an “emotion” before. That would be silly. Rather, instead, I personally find it difficult to offer a definition that I believe captures the weight and complexity of these things I see as emotions. On the visceral level, I know when I am feeling an emotion, it hits me. I am instinctively able to tell and discern the feeling when in the emotional state. Whether it has been conditioned or is biologically programmed is another matter, for another time.

However, this is where it gets tricky.

One should be careful not to confuse an emotion with the feelings that are associated with it. What am I saying, you ask? Well, I am proposing that there is a complexity to our emotional states that we may have not yet truly appreciated. The feelings associated with an emotion, and that could be physical reactions to such emotions, such as the tightening of the throat is a consequence of the emotion fear. The feeling of nervousness or anxiety, too, I believe is a consequence of fear.

As such, fear as an emotion can be discerned from its “feelings” if we are aware of them. Why? Well, a reason is because I think one could also be feeling these physical or mental responses from other heightened emotions, too.

However, I want to caution against trying to merely break down emotions to their bare machinations. Sure, it seems intuitively simple to do so as mere cause and effect or to just as biological workings of the human mind and body, but I believe to truly engage our emotions with the respect it deserves, this should be avoided. Yes, I suppose it serves as potentially a decent heuristic in trying to wrap our heads around it, but I posit that there is more to emotions than that.

So what now?

Well if you haven't watched "Inside Out" yet, I think you may want to watch it now. If you have, then maybe this would be a good opportunity to introspect. Sit down, and take the time to feel those emotions. Often enough, the emotions we feel are undeniably about something. But unfortunately, often enough, we are also unaware of the actual object that brings about the emotions. We may feel fear when the question of death arises, but when poked further, maybe it's not so much death that we fear, but maybe the idea of not finishing or not fulfilling that underpins it.

And this is fine! Cultivating an awareness of our emotions will allow one to access a better understanding of the “self” and the reality it inhabits. With sufficient pondering, one (hopefully) would come to the conclusion that emotions are very much part of the human condition. To think of ridding oneself of theses emotions would be futile. Thus, placing such false expectations would only serve to perpetuate the negative feelings (or good ones if one was trying to snuff out joy). As such, the only feasible way is to live with an awareness of the emotions. To give them due respect and recognition when they arise and due process as they require. Feeling emotions is tiring and understandably so. However, it is still a process. Granted, the lighter ones are much easier to bear, but heavier emotional states are no different. They came at some point, and at some, they too shall pass.

Embracing one's emotions is not a sign of weakness, but rather a mark of true clarity. It takes quite the being to truly recognize what they actually are, however humbling it may be. I’ve got quite a way myself in trying to understand my own emotions but we all have to start somewhere, no?

And, because why not, here's another comic from the Brain and Heart series. They're great, and if you're looking for more, you can find the rest here.