Emotions

I don't like them.

I don't like the good ones and don't like the bad ones. For some reason, I think Data (the android on Star Trek that could not feel) had a real advantage. He could see things without emotions blinding him and could make decisions based on logic and not feelings. Spock was always so logical too.

Even the good emotions seem to cause pain or a longing to do silly things to keep a good emotion. The bad emotions... well, are there really any good or bad emotions? In reality, aren't they just chemical changes in the brain that happen based on sensory triggers and learned responses?

Spouses cheat on their deployed spouses to some how feel love or acceptance in their service member's absence. Service members feel jealous over a plumber coming over to fix a busted pipe. Suicides are the results of feeling hopeless about situations that are most often temporary and based almost entirely on emotions.

3 marriages are on the rocks right now because of either infidelity or perceived infidelity, and that is just out of 20 or so guys, in the last 2 months. 2 months? Are you kidding me?

Last time I was out here, a Marine suck-started his M-16 in a port-a-john because he was feeling lonely. It was a 7 month deployment... only 7 months.

Here come the holidays. People here either get really depressed, really withdrawn, or totally immersed in their jobs. Why? Because they feel or so they don't have to feel.

The love I have for my family makes me miss them, so without that emotion of love, I would be better able to focus on my work?

Emotions make it hard to survive in a combat zone. Fear causes hesitation and hesitation makes you slower on the trigger than your enemy. Care about your Marines makes you hesitate before sending them into combat at all, for fear that they could be hurt.

Trust is so much more logical. I simply trust the Marine to do his job because he is a consummate professional. There is no fear involved or love or compassion. Unfortunately some of these emotions cause there to be a lack of trust though.

Acceptance is not a feeling, it is a state of being. You either are or are not accepted. Let an emotion get in there though and now there are some that are more accepted than others and some that are jealous or ashamed or ....

Then there is God. God is love. Why can't God be courage? Courage is feeling fear and acting anyway. Acting despite a silly emotion.

I really struggle with emotions.

Most Iraqi's right now are doing things that are counter-productive because of some fear or another. Many of their fears are founded in reality, but that doesn't make them any more or less influential on the Iraqi's actions.

Law-men over here fear for their lives in enforcing rule of law instead of tribal law and sometimes that fear causes them to become corruptible. Innocent civilians fear for their safety in the areas al Qaeda has influence so they cooperate with actions against the Iraqi government and coalition forces. Fear of being considered a terrorist causes them to sever ties with family members and fear of family members prevents them from working with coalition forces.

Dude, this is the law. You broke the law, You go to jail. I don't care who your sheik is.

Women have lots and lots and lots of emotions and who really understands them when they get emotional? Half the time, they cannot even tell you why they are emotional, they just are.

Emotions lie.

How often do little kids think there is some goofy monster under the bed or outside their 2nd story window, when in reality it is a balled up sweater or the wind tapping a branch? I guess that would be imagination (not an emotion...) I will have to re-think that one....

They still lie. One minute we are feeling one way and the next we are feeling totally different while only our perceptions have changed, not reality.

(In case you are wondering, nothing has happened, it is just 2352 at night, I have not blogged for today and I cannot sleep, so you are getting my philosophical thoughts on emotions....)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Semper Fi,
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