I’ve recently realized that our generation is extremely afraid of feeling. We are scared of showing compassion for fear that we might be taken advantage of, scared of showing sadness for fear that people might think we’re weak, and most of all scared of showing love because everyone around us has decided that being sentimental and sensitive is associated with being naïve and immature.
As someone who has always felt every emotion on a very deep level, I find this concerning. When I talk to my friends about the worries they have, I can tell they’re holding back because they’re embarrassed or ashamed of what they feel. It’s almost as if we’re being conditioned to walk around like zombies, numb to the feelings that make us who we are. People are constantly complaining that love is lost and relationships have been taken over by the hook-up culture. Well, I think the reason for that is the fact that no one is showing emotion. Rather than expressing to someone that you have genuine interest in who they are, we as a generation hold back and instead keep things on a very surface level as to not hurt ourselves or others.
In my opinion, that’s stupid.
In order to make truly meaningful relationships with other human beings, we have to let our emotions out, even if it might be scary. By holding everything inside, we are doing nothing for ourselves other than creating anxieties and stress because we feel like we can’t truly express who we are and what we feel. We need to overcome this and realize that emotions are a natural part of what it means to be a human being and that given the chance, even expressing the worst feeling emotions can help relieve stress and give us what we’re looking for in life.
You will never have a true best friend if you can’t tell them your fears, secrets, loves and desires. You will never have a meaningful relationship if you can’t express how you feel about the other person or truly connect on a deeper level. You will never be free of your worries if you constantly bottle them up until one day you implode over these emotions that have been yearning to be set free.
As a generation, we need to stop this. We need to stop being afraid of what people might think and just say what we need to say. We need to stop encouraging each other to be numb and keep everything inside and rather encourage one another to confide in us whatever it is they are feeling.
Let’s stop making fun of boys for expressing love, hurt, and passion. Let’s stop telling girls that they’re too emotional or too mushy. Instead, let’s encourage each other to express ourselves when we’re in love. Let’s encourage each other to tell us when they’re angry, to scream, shout and cry. We are not robots meant to walk around like the world doesn’t make us feel a million different ways. It’s okay to feel something other than angst.
I’m not saying you need to express every single emotion in the deepest most passionate way possible, but I am saying that you need to express something. Not everyone feels comfortable telling people what they feel but in order to be freed of the emotions that restrict you; it’s important to have at least one person whom you trust and in whom you can confide.
The only way we will ever truly have meaningful relationships with both friends and partners is if we stop being scared and truly lay our hearts on the table.
As a generation, we need to stop being scared.