Buzz, buzz! “Why won't the flies stop
buzzing around my head?” I wondered as I sat out in the mountain shade
trying to digest my new book. First one, then four, all buzzing around
my head. It seemed like it was a dance for them, and it looked like a
dance for me. I was waving my arms every which way trying to get the
pesky insects to leave me alone. I didn't do anything to them. Why
wouldn't then just leave me be so that I could enjoy my book?
Their obvious pleasure was my immediate
frustration. I really started to get angry inside. I had such wonderful
plans for a relaxing afternoon in the shade with my book, and they were
ruining it. With the touch of each new fly on my head and face I felt
more and more upset at the bugs. Then it hit me.
These mountain flies had no idea I was
mad. They didn't care at all. I could have yelled and screamed, but that
wouldn't have made a difference. I swatted and swung, but they kept
coming back. My anger and frustration was only hurting me.
Rules Of Engagement
Isn't there some unspoken rule that the
person with the most emotion wins? I counsel with families all the time
who believe this principle. Fathers, mothers, and children all addicted
to yelling at each other and getting emotional to try to get the other
person's attention and their own way. When someone shows tears family
members respond with sympathy. When someone shows anger, family members
respond with anger, or they take the side of the angry person. Emotion
is a strong sensation in the body. It must mean the person experiencing
it has really been wronged, right?
Maybe. But, even if a person has been
wronged by another, it isn't the emotional reaction which makes the
victim right. Emotion does not make a person right! And, it doesn't
always even make you feel better. Many times, emotional venting makes
you feel worse.
In a world where people are obsessed with
how the body feels and functions, emotions are often seen as
uncontrollable. In fact, in some circles people think that controlling
your emotions is dangerous. They think that the only way to solve a
problem is to get it all out, no matter how it comes out.
This philosophy has its place when dealing
with deeply rooted fears, or healing from abusive pasts etc. However,
in regular relationships venting emotions all the time, in out of
control ways, is a recipe for relationship disaster.
The practice ends up looking a lot like me
trying to get my new book read and swatting at pesky flies. We didn't
relate at all. I was worried about me, and the flies were worried about
themselves. It was survival of the fittest. If I would have smashed one
or two flat they would have hated me for it, and I would have gotten my
way, but where would our relationship be?
I know it's silly to talk about relating
to flies, but that is the whole point. How often do we treat our family
members like I treated the flies? How often do we spend a lot of energy
fueling emotion and only succeed in creating more confusion and
distancing ourselves from them more? How often do we expect our emotions
to be the reason someone should relate to us and care about our
desires?
Emotions Are Not Enough!
The great men and
women who have lead out in the history of our world all had one thing in
common; self-government. They knew that in order to make any difference
or any discovery it would require personal sacrifice, which requires
self-mastery. They had to make themselves do difficult things on a
regular basis. They often went without sleep and couldn't attend all the
social events because they had a mission to perform. They took the
“road less traveled” on purpose. They naturally had frustrating moments
in their journey. But, what if they would have just stopped at
frustration? Would we have light bulbs, x-ray machines and motor cars?
I'm sure many of
these great people of the past and present have felt strong, productive,
even spiritual emotions as well. They have probably felt their hearts
burning with the desire to succeed or the desire to help others. These
feelings are spiritual messages to our hearts and minds which actually
encourage thought, unlike emotional feelings. But, it wasn't the feeling
alone which made them successful in their life's mission. It was the
self-government they chose to have. They chose to act deliberately
against all odds, and the action altered their lives for good.
Watching Is Okay!
So, what do you do when your mission is raising an out of control child and they are whining once again?
When a person is angry, I watch. I describe what is happening and offer instructions to help them gain focus.
When a person is
crying because they are anxious or mad, I watch. I don't try to stop the
cry by consoling or controlling the person. Instead I describe what the
situation looks like and offer gentle instructions to help them gain
focus.
If you know that
emotions don't make a person right, then you can choose to be calm. A
calm parent always does more good at changing the heart of a child than
an emotional one.
The brain is an
amazing body part. Once the emotional center of the brain is engaged,
everything else seems to shut down. At this time, deliberate thought
seems almost impossible. But, if by chance the logic of the brain is
spoken to instead of the emotional center of the brain, then the person
can wake up the mind and think logically again. At this point the heart
of the person is open again to feel, instead of just emote. When the
heart of the person is ready to be taught, it can change for the better.
Metaphorically
speaking, what if we all stopped swatting at flies? What if we thought
about our relationships, and did something to help people get calm
instead? Seeking to understand, calmly describing what is happening and
reminding a person of self-government skills they already know is the
best way to help them through a problem.
You see...no matter
how desperate the problem seems, or how wronged you feel.....emotion
doesn't make you right. Truth cannot be felt without an open heart. And
emotion confuses the heart. We all know that people who mess with our
emotions can't be trusted. We can't feel truth when we are with them.
So, in order to feel truth on a regular basis, we should keep our hearts
in tune to truth by keeping our emotions from taking over our actions.
Yes, emotions are real, and they are dangerous if you don't learn how to
govern them.
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Nicholeen Peck is a popular public speaker, BBC television star and author of Parenting A House United, and Londyn LaRae Says Okay. Her blog is Teaching Self Government. The BBC show of her family can be found there, as well as answers to frequently asked parenting questions. To buy her book click here. Check out her Books and Audio Classes, New Children's Book or her Blog which is full of great parenting tips!
