Among the many things that have been on my mind recently has been the idea that people can be addicted to feelings in the same fashion as drugs, food, alcohol, etc. In observing current trends in our culture, especially in terms of behavior (a prime example being that of politicians and pundits), it seems like people have a need to feel some kind of way on a level deserving of its own Intervention episode. The result of feeding into such needs, can be akin to the worst junkie stories imaginable.
These feeling addictions can be put into two categories-addiction to positivity and addiction to negativity. At its worst, the positivity addict can be blinded to actual problems that need to be addressed. This can basically be illustrated by many with the "Polyanna" mentality. We've all been around at least one person like that. On the other end of the spectrum is the negativity addict, always in need to feel anger, hatred, or see the bad side of everything. Case in point-most of the pundits of a certain cable news network named after an animal. This too results in disasterous consequences-namely stagnation in life, strife, and even violence. The common thread is that the overwhelming drive adapts the addict to the situation that they're in, leading to fear of any type of change.
Recent decades have seen an increase in people talking about how they feel. Feelings, after all, are part of what makes us human. However, there's a difference between feeling and NEEDING to feel. The question becomes, then, "Do I feel this way at this particular moment because I actually feel this way or do I feel this way because it makes me comfortable?". Ask yourself that sometime.
In many instances, it's necessary to get to the matter at hand, as opposed to focusing on how you feel about it.
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