:)

Hi Mike: Good to see ya:) I am not sure I agree with you about expressing one's anger as not having value. I have found that, once I let my anger go, sometimes I find that the situation requires my expressing anger. But that expression tends, at least within me, to be then an effort at communication, of clearing the air, not one of hurting the other person by, say, nasty words. Actually, so far at any rate, Mike, when I let go my anger, what tends to emerge is warm feelings and the larger context of the relationship. Still, I could imagine that anger would still be waiting to be let out--except that, as you mentioned, it would be *far* more subject to rational thought rather than pure anger. I'm talking about ordinary situations, Mike. In special therapy situations, I have seen Branden encourage the expression of anger that was held under wraps between husband and wife--and expressing that raw anger led to an immediate surge of intimacy!

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I agree. It is obvious that strong emotions prevent rational thought. That is why the men whom we call heroes say that it is not a matter of not being afraid, but of not letting fear take control. On a more mundane level, we are told that it is good to express anger, to get it out, to vent it. In fact, the opposite is true. And, as you say, a simple trigger can get you out of that paralysis and into a rational frame of mind.

Actually, Objectivism says that your emotions are a consequence of your thinking. Obviously, an infant's emotions precede its thinking in any formal sense. However, as the child grows - quickly! - its improved cognition determines its emotional expressions. What you like, what you fear, how you express those, they all are instant summations of your thoughts, or lack of them.

Perhaps the only emotional primary is self-esteem. In that, I mean that self-esteem derives from your evaluation of your ACTIONS. People do grow up lacking self-esteem. Parents, school, church, etc., all work against it. However, at some point, those who seek it and find it do so in two stages. First, they reject the implicit message they never questioned - the unearned guilt. Then, they make themselves in their own image. That comes from ACTIONS in the real world. The self-evaluation of efficacy is earned.

Note, however, that those early emotions of guilt and shame are summations of ideas. The ideas must come first.

"...the ability to let that which doesn't matter, truly slide."

Hi Mike,
While emotions may begin as a result of thinking, once you have an emotion, it can affect one's ability to think, to act, or to feel. That's what Carrington's "releasing" is about. Eliminating the tendency to want so much that it has a negative effect on overall function.
Think of it this way: we all have some immediate ability to let go, if we have a troubling feeling. For example, imagine that I get hysterical about paying a bill. Then I suddenly think, "Gee, aren't I getting too hyper about this?" Then the hysteria goes. I'm still left with a troubling bill, but my thinking is much calmer, freer, to deal with it.
The problem is that folks don't know how to release when they need to. That's what my proposed workshop is about.
Since you talk about actions, Mike, I am interested in exploring those kinds of mental and emotional actions that diminish the overpush of wanting too much. Since these actions tend to produce less compulsivity and a deeper sense of harmony between one's self and the external universe, one's self-esteem goes up:)
Best wishes, amigo,
Mike Rael, MS