In English, when we feel angry in response to something, we say
“I am angry”.
In Irish, they say “Tá fearg orm”.
Which literally translates to
“There is anger upon me.”
I wonder how identifying with the feeling, like we do in English, Vs seeing the feeling as something that happened to us, is upon us, like in Irish, might affect how that emotion is processed and evolves in the subsequent moments of our lives.
I think it’s just a form of words. Irish people get angry in exactly the same way as others.
And since no exact translation ever occurs between languages, this seems just an archaic way of translating it.
FJ, I agree & think it gives power over (not to) the feeling to rephrase away from “am” the feeling… If someone feels powerless over their feelings, it is helpful to keep in perspective that feelings can be steered, participation in them can be paused and planned, their trigger can be worked through, the story behind it can be reinterpreted in a different frame and a new feeling can be appropriate, and so forth. Going the opposite end of the pendulum has consequences (being unable to feel, being unable to control outbursts or poor decisions because being unable to acknowledge and deal with feeling—hence masking with substances). It is not a good idea to ignore feeling for the same reason it is not a good idea to ignore pain in a broken leg with a steady stream of pain relievers. We too easily prescribe drugs. Kids need to be taught how to work through feelings, resolve conflicts, so forth, from very young. Broken adults with cemented business are harder “broken legs” to reset and heal. Wineskins.
I think it has an impact. There is a difference in where the feeling is identified as being located, such as the difference between internal vs external locus of control. Taking responsibility or not. Or, identifying something with/as yourself, or seeing yourself as a victim of things that just “happen to you”.
I think it’s also OK & appropriate to be in your feelings in a way that identifies with them as appropriate.
It is important to care. …but perhaps I am stuck in the caring that makes it important? Except for the fact that I chose to be there. If you can compartmentalize yourself out of caring, you can compartmentalize yourself back in. You just have to have a good reason, even if at first you don’t feel it. Something in you feels something that can connect to it. And even if you don’t feel anything at all, you can intellectually know that you should feel something and act accordingly. But even then, a little tiny grain of caring is required to know intellectually.
This is the same way you can tell your body you are going through with the thing that is hard for it to go through in order to reach the end in mind.
We are not a slave to our feelings, or to not feeling/interpreting or acting on them appropriately. Both are because they are not distinct from our mental processes (the governor).
That’s why good habits are important, because when we are tired our mental processes take a backseat to our heuristics.