Spirit Quest

Seeking Veracity

baut0@greytrek.com

Now, let's look at this . . . . . . .  We threw out Joy and Sorrow, "kind of fast" . . . .  Maybe too fast.  And, this thing, Egoistic versus Sympathetic perhaps needs another look.

Okay, the primary feelings that we are looking for have causes as all feelings do (remember the Object/Subject chart containing all 35 feelings).

Getting back to the previous example;  If I say:

"I feel hatred for the king"

The interest, or concern, or attention in this case is for the king . . . . . .  the concern is focused on the king.  The king may have caused this animosity for any number of reasons . . . . . . . jailed your father unjustly, or taken your land, etc.  The king is the "Object" or external cause of the hatred.  In this case the king, that is, the concept . . . . king, is the "Subject" of the hatred also.

The fact that hatred is felt is of course very important here, but the concern is focused on another, the king.  Hence, hatred is always a sympathetic feeling.  For this discussion, I will excuse the one unique contradiction and that is self-hate which will have to be dealt with later.

Now, let's look at Fear.  If I say:

"I am afraid of what the king might do"

Here the concern is focused on the security of "Self", or just plain self.  Now remember, we are talking about primary feelings and not composite ones.  You could say that "I am afraid of what the king might do to another person".  This so-called fear . . . . . . . well is it fear?  . . .  . . I don't know.  Perhaps we have run aground!  If a loved one is in danger, I suppose we could say that we are truly afraid for their safety.  Why are we so concerned??  Well, it's because of our love for and self-involvement with that loved one.  If self is not intermingled with or vitally linked to another who is in impending danger, then I question whether our feeling of fear is really fear itself.  It is more probably a watered-down composite.  But it is clear that one can experience fear for the security of another provided there is a link to "self" such as love.  Now we can say that the fear for the safety of another is, at least in part, fear for the security of self, and that Fear is indeed Egoistic.

Now, the opposites of Fear and Hatred are Security and Affection.  If we say:

"I like the king"

The king is pleasing and causes the feeling of affection.   We don't go around proclaiming or dictating that which will be an object of our affection.  Because we desire affection, we don't arbitrarily decide what will cause the affection.  It just happens.  Sure, once the object of affection is established, desire . . . . . which is selfish . . . . . comes into play.   But the initial, simple feeling of affection, of liking someone or something is involuntary and the affection is focused on the object of the affection, and not any resulting benefit to self.  We are of course excluding the case of self-love.

Well, it was a good try.  I mean attempting to show that some feelings were sympathetic . . . . . . . but I think it was in vain.  The hatred for the king is not unexplained and is not caused by one's absolute and inherent dislike for kings.  It is generated because of being deprived of a father or of some land and is a result of self concern.,

Also, affection is felt because of actual or potential gain and therefore the Hatred – Affection "couple" are just as egoistic as the Fear – Security couple.

Deprivation is akin to hatred and lack of security (Fear) and affection is related to gain and to lack of Fear.

Now, I'm thinking that Fear does not have a legitimate opposite.  Security is the state or feeling of no Fear.

So it appears that all feelings, complex, composite, mixed with situation and conditions and influenced by others are composed of two concepts only.  That of "Fear" and that of "Self"!