Today’s passage, “The difference between emotion and feeling.” Feeling your feelings and emoting or reacting to feelings is not the same thing. Many of us confuse emotion with feeling. Emotions are felt through experience. Rupi Kaur in Milk and Honey writes, 
 
“i don’t know what living a balanced life feels like when i am sad
i don’t cry i pour
when i am happy
i don’t smile i glow
when i am angry
i don’t yell i burn
the good thing about
feeling in extremes
is when i love
i give them wings
but perhaps
that isn't
such a good thing
cause they always
tend to leave and
you should see me
when my heart is broken
i don't grieve
i shatter”

What are emotions? When we vent, emote or react, what we are truly doing is operating on autopilot, allowing our primitive parts, including our amygdala, take over, while becoming inwardly depressed that we can’t ‘get a handle’ on our feelings. But, it’s all a ruse because true feelings can be felt without any outward expression.

Think of a time when your child, friend or partner spoke in a way that was instantly interpreted or perceived by you as a personal affront.  Your ego intercepted the message and you emoted. The regret over these type of reactions are an emotional hangover in and of itself.  

What are feelings? To experience feelings is to become the witness of whatever is elevating, igniting or bothering you. It’s similar to meditation in that we pause and observe the thoughts and feelings that flow in space. We become the witness for every interaction we have with others.  To feel without emoting is the highest form of consciousness there is. 

It goes without saying that emoting is a bridge burner in creating intimacy with your children, intimacy with your romantic partners, intimacy in every type of relationship.

Drake who wrote In my feelings and Emotionless, rapped in the latter, ‘They always ask, "Why let the story run if it's false?" This is to say, why not react this personal affront, where’s your outrage? To which he responds, "You know a wise man once said nothing at all."

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