We are often like a sponge. Holding our emotions until we are so heavy just like a sponge drenched to its core. A sponge is that we use often in the kitchen, but it can teach us quite a bit even for the office moments.
Yet we hold on to our emotions bottled for fear of judgment, of losing image, hurting others’ feeling and maybe even due to upbringing. The list could be endless. Very often we wait for others to squeeze the water out and dry the sponge.
Stop.
This is where we have to stop and think again. Everyone is going through their own journey and unless one is really lucky no one with the right expertise is going to be able to put the puzzle together for us. Only we know what the problems are even though we may not have solutions yet. But if we cannot wire our own system what is the use of collecting qualifications?
The very nature of the sponge is to collect moisture and water but if it cannot be dry in between it is soon considered useless and pushed aside.
So what happens when we are heavy with unexpressed emotions? We end up with misplaced reactions and responses. What should have been a normal conversation ends up in chaos.
Today of course our palette to express emotions include social media platforms. The platforms have been learning too the erratic emotional outbursts. The sense of integrity has been facing challenges too whether it is because of forwarding fabricated videos and stories or misusing the content.
“Ever since breach of security, companies are taking more measures to ensure the privacy of their users,” said a social media expert. WhatsApp is an end to end encrypted platform. There might be even steps taken to control screenshots and there is a limitation on the number of forwarded messages said another.
Again it is to do with integrity. Ethics and integrity can be a topic to be debated upon. Are these subjects that can be taught or are they inborn or cultivated or conditioned?
Nevertheless the world experience has been that emotions can be used against the same individuals who expressed it. Is that why we try to stay refined with expressing emotions?
As they say words are more powerful than a sword, words once spoken cannot be retrieved. It is almost the same with texts in the digital world.
In the past one could scribble a note and scratch it off and if it were pencil then it could even be erased. But in the social media and digital word there is a term that means a lot in dictionary — ‘share’. Sharing food, wealth and knowledge would be considered noble but somehow in the social media it is reverse in certain cases. Especially in the case of
videos and screenshots from one phone number to another there is an urge to share what one would not share in public platforms.
On the other hand the current trait of emotion is to express one’s opinion on any subject that is posted on the public platforms. It could be healthy and it may not be.
A collective emotion as Will Smith puts it defining cinema and people watching the film in theatres, is what is probably what goes on in the social media front too except that here everyone is simultaneously reacting and the freedom is much more than what people would say during a face to face conversation.
Why would one express more and lose their inhibitions on a social media platform?
Has it got to do with one’s identity? Or is it just a personality trait of being opinionated?
What is the right way? It is simple — once again like everything else in life it is with a choice.
Is there a way to express one’s thoughts and feelings without causing harm to the general public? At the same time it is well understood that anything stagnant becomes pollution and can turn toxic even if it is
bottled up emotions.
So let us stretch, breathe easy and acknowledge the issue and move towards a new direction.
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