AAMT: Lesson 2 - SOURCES OF EMOTION, part 2

When I was a young boy scout in northern California, my scoutmaster, Mr. Cannon, was an old man who was too sickly to do much more than sit around camp.  He was not so senile that he didn't know that scouts don't camp out just to sit around.  To solve this dilemma and provide a hiking experience for the boys, Mr. Cannon always brought a much older boy or young man to camp who could lead the hikes.  I recall one particular hike when he brought along Junior Ruple, a six-toot, three inch high school senior.  Ir recognize that six fee three inches may not seem tall to you, but in 1946, when only a few ever reached six feet, a young man who was six feet three was like a giant, especially to twelve- and thirteen-year old boys.

On that same trip was the very smallest of all our scouts, Orville Doddle.  Orville, in spite of his small stature, was very active and adventurous.  At the edge of camp, near a little streamlet, he found a small water snake.  It was so small it barely hung over the sides of his dirty little hand.  He was so excited and proud that he rushed into camp to show Junior.  As little Orville thrust the snake out to display it to big Junior, the most pitifully horrified look came across Junior's face as he backed away, screaming and clutching his stomach.  (that scene is still very vivid in my memory.)

Now I ask you, if it was the snake in this case that caused the great fear, why was it that big Junior, who wasn't even near the snake, was terrified, while little Orville, who was holding the reptile was unaffected?  Even if Junior had been holding the snake, it would have been no more dangerous for him that it was for Orville.  obviously, Junior's reaction was triggered by a "snake attitude" he was carrying around in his head.  Epictetus, a Greek philosopher once stated, "It's not facts and events that upset man, but the view he takes of them."  Similarly, Shakespeare said, "It is our opinion of things that disturbs us -- not the things themselves."

Let me now share an interpersonal analogy to illustrate how rapidly you produce an emotion and how rapidly you can change it.  Imagine that you have a very badly swollen and infected big toe.  It is so badly infected that your doctor has to lance it to drain the infection.  He advises you to use crutches to walk in order to give your toe a chance to heal properly.  Your first appointment after leaving the doctor's office is on the fifth floor.  It is evident that ascending five flights of stairs on crutches would be difficult, and you can't walk up them on your sore toe.  you decide that taking the elevator is the most logical solution.

As you enter the elevator, you press the button for the fifth floor and then move to the very back of the elevator, where you will be relatively out of the way.  Just as the elevator door begins to close, a large arm reaches through and blocks it open again.  A large man, six feet five inches tall and 275 pounds, enters the elevator, presses his button, moves to the back of the elevator and steps -- guess where?  You guessed it.  Right on your very sore toe.  What kind of emotion are you likely to experience at that instant?  Most likely the emotion will be some form of anger (I have encountered only a couple of exceptions.)  You may think or say, "Why you insensitive, clumsy clod!  With all the space in this elevator, why did you have to step on my sore toe?  Why don't you watch where you are going?  Are you blind or something?"

If I were to stop you at that point and ask why you are so angry, you would likely reply, "Because that big !$@# stepped on my sore toe."  But was it really his stepping on your sore toe that caused the anger?  Let's run that scene one more time.

Everything is just the same as before.  The toe has been operated on.  You have to use crutches to get around.  As you enter the elevator, you press the button for the fifth floor, as before.  Just as the door begins to close, the big arm comes through the door and blocks it open.  Again, the man is huge.  After pressing his elevator button, he moves to the back of the elevator, and, as before, steps right on your sore toe.  Immediately, you are angry as you think and/or say, "Why you insensitive, clumsy clod, why don't you watch where you are going?  Are you blind or something?"  At that point he turns and faces you and, sure enough, he is blind.  Now what kind of feeling are you likely to have?  Still anger?  Not likely, is it?

But wait.  Does a 275-pound blind man hurt a sore toe any less than does a 275-pound man who has his sight?  not at all!  The toe hurts just as much after you recognize that he is blind as it does before, yet you are no longer angry.  You see, it was neither the stepping on the toe nor the pain caused by it that caused the anger.  Anger is always caused by evaluative thinking.  Evaluative thinking is always under the control of the thinker!  Future lessons will assist you in exercising rational control over your emotions as you learn to produce rational thoughts.

It might be well for you to review lesson 1 again to make sure you have a clear understanding of the term rational as I use it in this course.