In Defense of Emotional People

The prevailing view in our society is that emotions are weaknesses that should be suppressed. Yet, to feel nothing is just not human. Those people who are not afraid to cry are often the ones who are most in touch with their emotions, and this is not necessarily a bad thing.
What is life without emotion and sensitivity? We watch movies, listen to music, and do so many other things just so we can feel something. Yet we criticize anyone who acts overly sentimental. At times, we as a society forget, that it is the sensitive people who are the most caring and understanding. We forget that those who go through life seemingly without emotion are probably in denial of their feelings, or too selfish to care about the things that surround them, things that should make them feel something. To cry, to let something get to you, to be affected by things that aren’t directly hurting you - for some reason this is considered a weakness, so much so that people are even ashamed to have clinical depression because they will be told that they are weak.
It is my belief that people should not be ashamed of something as natural as a feeling. To be in touch with your emotions is to live life to fullest, for what life would there be without the pursuit of happiness, and without those sad moments that make us appreciate the happiness we already have? Clearly, to judge those that are sensitive is hypocrisy, for they are the ones who become truly involved in their lives; involved enough to feel a full range of emotions and understand the emotions of others.


and another:

“For in much wisdom is much grief …”

Imagine if you knew everything there was to know. With so much knowledge and wisdom, think of the amazing things you could do, of how superior to everyone else you would become. Suddenly, you would be able to do things you never dreamed of before. Being that smart would solve all your problems, and give you a perfect life and perfect happiness - or so you would like to think.
You will want things you now know about but can never have. You will no longer be able to interact with normal people or enjoy normal things, finding the average life far too plain and devoid of discovery or challenge. You will understand your own limitations and flaws far better, and realize how illusory and unfair life really is. You will find yourself going insane with boredom and the inability to fix any of the stupidity that you see going on around you. Then, you will have true wisdom, the ability to understand that wisdom isn’t everything. You may wish to undo it, to go back to your prior innocence, but that is impossible.
Now take a look at the opposing scenario. You know nothing. You are ignorant, but extremely happy and carefree. Nothing worries you and nothing bothers you, because you are too naïve to recognize danger or take in the full harshness of reality. You live like a child, lacking wisdom and good judgment. This may lead you into a happiness that you will never question, because as they say, ignorance is bliss.
But just because you are not aware of something does not mean it cannot hurt you. For example, even if you don’t see the truck coming, it can still hit you. You may never know about the missed opportunities or the troubling things that only others understand, but that is not a guarantee for happiness. In fact, it may leave you unprepared for many things, and you may end up with as much grief in your life as any wiser person, and find yourself looking back and saying “if only I had known …”
Neither of these situations is ideal. In fact, they are both equally horrible in their own ways. So the quote “For in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow,” is true, but only partially. It is not necessarily too much wisdom that causes our grief, because not having enough wisdom can have the same effect.
It is true that the more you know, the more you can worry about. Also, it is a medical fact that smarter people are more likely to get clinical depression. However, more knowledgeable people also tend to be more successful and better at getting what they want. They may do things such as going to college, which will bring them happiness by allowing them to get a better job, and feel more confident and better about themselves. On the other hand, who can forget the innocence of childhood, when knowing very little really was bliss. Who wouldn’t want to preserve that, and keep from spoiling it by learning too much and losing their ability to be carefree? By choosing to see no evil and hear no evil we may preserve some of our enjoyable ignorance, but to do this is to go through life blindfolded. However, in the words of Aeschylus, “He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.”
So, both wisdom and ignorance can bring us grief, and also happiness. “Knowledge is power, but ignorance is bliss.”