Everyone is doing it.
And it is following the fiat of feelings.
The faithful, the heathen,
The old, the young,
The rich, the poor,
The ignorant, the educated,
Everyone is acting as if feelings are an ultimate value.
Or real.
Or actually matter.
It’s a new wild world where the realm of perception and the realm of physical existence are confused.
What matters now isn’t the multiple (real or imagined) threats and problems.
No, what matters now is how you feel about those (real or imagined) threats and problems.
Personal, communal, and global.
No need to deal with the annoying real threats and problems.
No need to deal with our moral shortcomings or character flaws.
It’s enough to express your feelings.
You are not your feelings.
Our feelings about feelings have even polluted our legal system.
Introduced in the 70s, victim impact statements are now a normal part of court proceedings.
As if murdering a good man is worse than killing a total asshole (well, the jury may still be out on that one).
Remember,
Feelings are unreliable.
Feelings are not reality.
Feelings are not the truth.
Feelings are endless and often unknowable.
Feelings are like ex's, often better when ignored.
Also remember,
Reality and truth always your best friends.
Therefore, no matter how much “you talk it out”
And no matter how “safe” a group or person might be,
In the end there’s an endless emptiness in the exploration of feelings.
Let’s be honest here,
Feelings are often complete crap.
And crap is crap you matter how you feel about it.