reply to post by nerbot
Great question! That is a common trap we all, including myself, fall into.
Feelings are happiness, sadness, anger, love, etc.
Thoughts are "I want friends", "I love my family", "I want a new job", etc.
So . . . if someone is depressed, they may go to work everyday then just come home. Friends may call but they stay home. Spouses may ask for stuff
to be done, but they don't "feel" like it. Their "feelings" are driving their actions . . . which only lead one to think about it. Why don't I
have any friends? Why is my spouse mad at me? . . . all of this makes them feel worse, which leads to more destructive action.
Conversely, if someone is depressed and they realize "I do want to see my friends/go out" . . . "my spouse is asking for my help, so I will" and
they act on those . . . this will lead to positive emotions/feelings.
So the process should go . . . for someone with no friends
"I want friends"
action: smile, say hello to people, get out of the house and socialize
emotion: happiness, belonging
For most of the population, it's reversed
emotion: sad, isolated
action: frown, stay in, complain about life, maybe abuse drugs/alcohol
"Why don't I have any friends?" . . . "Why does my life suck?"
=more sadness, isolation.
It's all how you perceive events and react to them, and such is "good"/"evil". However, "good"/"evil" are usually taught to us in some way,
be it conciously or sub-consciously. So, when we see "good"/"evil" it's an emotional response to an event. A response that clouds/shapes our
thoughts and directs our actions. The thoughts that follow the action are the reason people feel regret or vindication. However, at that point it's
all rationization.
Pretty general discriptions, but I hope you can see my point. Now, whether you agree or not . . . that's for you to "think" about.