Our Emotional Future, Part Deux
Sidestreet,San Francisco
Our Emotional Future, Part Deux
I feel like it was this photo that encouraged me to write Part Deux on this subject, albeit the topic is large. An emotional part of me growled when I walked by these chairs on this uncrowded San Francisco Street. Adorable, pastel-painted children’s chairs chained to a telephone poll. Curiously, I don’t stop and take photos of bicycles all over the world chained to wherever and don’t blink an eye when I see Adirondack beach chairs chained to, various and sundry places on the beach, but these tiny kids’ chairs made me feel emotional. The emotion I felt was perhaps the most life-changing emotion anyone of us can truly embrace and that to me is empathy. Yes, I was tad bit sad about children growing up to someone in their household answering, “Yes honey, I put the lock on the chain for the kids’ chairs when I went out earlier.” And true I was a bit horrified for a moment wondering if the kids have to sit in the chairs while they are chained, but I let that thought go as quickly as it came.
Experts (LOL, whoever they are in this field) have divided empathy into 2 categories. One is referred to as Cognitive Empathy– which is being able to comprehend another person’s thoughts and emotions. The other is referred to as Emotional Empathy, which has to do with ‘catching’ another person’s feelings; their same feelings. When I walked by the chairs I would say I felt both, not that I was in the presence of the chair owners or users, but I felt both for our now, chosen humanity. I would venture to say that the majority of people walking by these chairs would not feel both forms of empathy. Most being securely detached, most likely they would feel no emotion whatsoever. Detachment seems to be our 21st century survival mechanism. How great the detachment, how rapid and how heartless in the advancement of nonstop tech is anyone’s guess. So I wonder what happens to we sentient beings? Will we be as freakishly outcast as an iPhone3? Especially in the wake of last years very loud warning from experts claiming that empathy is becoming a “dangerous self-indulgence.” Wait. What? OMG, is there an empathy epidemic?
In a world that believes everything is energy then I take great hope that emotion will always be present. Turn up the music and begin to feel, for all of music is born of emotions, is it not? Had Chopin or Hendrix been broadcast as we walked by these chairs, would emotion ensue? For if music cannot connect us to our nature, to our human emotions, then . . . . . I’m Cry.
Stay True,
Maggygrace