h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

on the positive side

If someone has been sarcastic shows not only have they listened to what you have said but understood your point,and
polite enough to return the compliment

I'm not certain I understood you, ltp -- sarcasm a polite way to return the compliment?

Watercolor class this evening, so I need to start getting organised. Last night I wound up driving home through a blizzard. Bless 4-wheel drive!

*Wakes up in chair*

Caer
I always refer to it as death by P*** taking.

It's actually a good way of avoiding being forced to take formal disiplinary action by senior manglement, as you can show you have already dealt with the matter.
and it has the advantage of ensuring that everyone on the team knows what happened and to avoid making the same c*ck up.


*Dozes off again*

I find that when I read something I tend to put emotions in it, whether they're there or not. I don't know if this has to do with me being an empathetic sort of person (which I believe I am) or if this is something the average person does...

The sons and H have learnt that they will always get the emotive response first, then to wait a couple of hours and approach me again by which time I have calmed down and will see reason. However, they all say that when the brown stuff hits the fan, I'm calm and rational. But that must be the result of my training kicking in, not my nature!

The facial expression thing is interesting. My mother, an immensely wise woman (who I still miss dreadfully) said that if you greet someone with a they will great you with one, making it easier to talk to them.

Something else that has stood me in good stead in entering a crowded room full of strangers is to say 'poets' to myself. If you do this in front of a mirror, you will see that it leaves a gentle smile on you face, which goes back to what Mum said.

Lil -

I agree with ltp, the only way to be truly sarcastic is to grok what was said.

Courtesy

*wanders in, late, holding a pen and paper*

It's good to be back, I've missed this place

*'s Lil*

On the subject of emotions I find that testerone highs make it very much easier to control emotions of self pity or sadness but much easier to loose my temper. Oesterogen highs tend to be the other way around. I find I automatically blame other people for my problems on testerone, but tend to blame myself when I've got a bit of oestogen around the ol'blood stream.

Ohps I forgot Lil many thanks for you offer of your room for the films, but we've already got started elsewhere
F1715952?thread=365489

We're currently discussing Dr Zhivago,

Considering that Buddhists teach that anger is merely a projection of one's own internal assumptions on any situation and should not be indulged, its not surprising the Dalai Lama has the facial muscles of a 21 year old. I know sometimes, upon hearing certain tones or seeing certain behaviors in others, I project my own lack of self-confidence and leftover issues from past incidents and turn a misunderstanding into a big nasty hoopla.

/* Enters with Zeppo through the back entrance */

Welcome, Seth.

"if you carefully arrange your facial muscles to replicate an emotional expression, you will begin to feel the emotion associated with that expression! Using electroshock needles, he has taught himself to voluntarily control ALL of his facial muscles"

the only emotion I would feel using electroshock needles would have absolutely nothing to do with self-control.

I see the point about sarcasm too, it does show that someone has not only paid attention to what was said, they have also understood it, thought about it, and thought of something to say in return. After all, wit is really a form of sarcasm, and if Oscar Wilde or Voltaire joined us and said terrible things about us to our faces, we would all be absolutely delighted. Wouldn't we? Clumsy sarcasm is another matter.

I'm still thinking about the emotions topic. I'm not sure I have enough background to comment.

I definitely think that one is ahead of the game in 'anger management' if one recognizes their negative emotions are coming from within themselves and are not a reflection of reality. Sure, they might still blow up in any given situation, but they have at least an iota of understanding.

And I agree with LTP and d'E: sarcasm is not always a toxic thing.

[]

So tired... can't think straight enough right now to join the discussion at the moment...very interesting though. I will think about it.

So, am I first?

Lil, I am in total agreement with points one through five. And Hypatia, I questioned myself much like you did and backed off posting quite a bit over the last few days.

I don't know anything about formal theories of emotion, but I know how ~I~ feel. One thing I'm learning now is that suppressing expression of angry emotions over the long term is not healthy. Eventually, you reach a point where you are incapable of holding it in and then you overreact. It's not pretty.

So how should one express a negative emotion in a way that is healthy for the emoter and harmless to those in the vicinity?

"So how should one express a negative emotion in a way that is healthy for the emoter and harmless to those in the vicinity?" - Yes, that would be very interesting to know, as I suffer from the last two sentences of the previous paragraph

With the smellfungus I'm trying to understand why she is the way she is. Then maybe I can react more calmly to her. Not that I would be condoning her actions - just recognize that her problem isn't with me but with herself. So perhaps I won't get so upset when she goes on one of her tirades. So far I'm only semi-successful.

*unlurks*

There is an important difference between controlling an emotion and supressing it. I suppose the divide rests on identifying emotions and their suitability to a given context. Recognising an emotion and deciding that it is not appropriate to express it at a particular time or in a particular way can be a good thing. Denying an emotional response or failing to use healthy outlets for emotions is not a good thing. I'm sure there's more to it though.

*smiles shyly and goes back to hiding behind one of the delightfully comfy looking sofas, still thinking about emotions*

So how should one express a negative emotion
Anon said once"revenge is best a dish served cold"
by not seeing it as a negative

Emotional anger is "radom" BUT can be "harnessed" once reconized as Emotional anger also knowing the cause ,as such may relate to IRL rather than H2G2 at times if you practise premoderateing your replies when [[but I know how ~I~ feel]] moments it will help IRL but then again maybe not

that also aplies to "catalyst" for negative emotion or any emotion
we all have some think that makes us smile even is post 42 or time * broke wind in church.

On the emotion topic, is it wise to ignore your emotions when considering a life change?

The reason I ask is that I am currently struggling with the idea of moving out of SLC and in to Texas or California. I know that Lil will think it wise for me to fight inertia, and I agree with her to some degree. I know that Courtesy and MR would like to see me in the OC, and I think that I would like it there. But my life is conspiring to keep me in SLC for teh time being. I just got home from a dinner with my minister, and we discussed this. He told me to do a cost/benifit analisys to see if I should make the move. But how to you weigh things like friendships, social standing, commitments? I am becoming active in my church agtain for the first time in a decade. I have certain other commitments that I am loathe to forego.

There is a scant possibility that Gw7en's company might have an opening for me in the near future. The job sounds interesting and it seems to be a good company to work for. That is very positive to me. However, there is also what Lil referrs to as inertia. There is quite a lot that is keeping me rooted in my home town. I really cannot decide if I am ready to leave behind all the positive things that are going on right now for other positive things elsewhere. I am literally torn, emotionally, over what to do.

Any thoughts?

*waves to Speckly*

Well, we're approaching the border between the descriptive and the prescriptive as the western psychologists would say. That is, there's a difference between identifying and properly describing an emotion, and then suggesting how to handle it. As Speckly pointed out, suppression is Not a Good Thing.

Sublimation can work, but it takes good introspective skills.

And I haven't got to the part of the Dalai Lama's book that might possibly tell what to do with destructive emotions. I was hoping y'all could tell me.