The power of our emotions and why we should be paying more attention to them.
Emotions are an intrinsic part of human nature, but are we aware how contagious they are. When you see a friend who has had some bad news — say their father has passed away — you can’t help but feel some of their sadness.
The heart emits electromagnetic pulses that are present in both humans and animals called biomagnetism. We’re fine tuned to read them, though our brain can often block them out when it’s distracted, overloaded with its own anxiety or overdosed on technology.
This becomes unhealthy when you pick up these emotions without realising it and go on to spread them. We don’t even need to be in the same place as those sending the signals — something as simple as turning on the evening news can change our moods instantly.
It happens not only on an individual level but on a global scale. The terror of ISIS has spread around the world and is reflecting back at us in Donald Trump. Fear and anger are now the predominant viruses of our society.
But what if we were to flip it? How do we choose happiness as our virus?
Already we’re seeing huge growth in self development, in people wanting to learn how to be happier and understand themselves better on an individual level and that creates a ripple effect.
When our emotions are powerful enough to change those around us, then they can also be a weapon to change the world.
We should never underestimate our power at an individual level. In these uncertain times filled with threats of climate change and crises around water and food, we need to stop the virus before it stops us, and that begins with something as simple as our thoughts.
For real change to happen we need to break out of our bubbles and start thinking of others in the same way as we do ourselves, to put strangers needs above our own and do the things that western culture hasn’t rewarded until now — to act selflessly from a place of compassion- as that will inspire others to do the same.
It’s time to stop waiting for the governments and corporations to find the solutions, and to put into practise what we have learnt from our own journeys, for only when we take personal responsibility for what we see around us will we realise that the only ones that can truly save us are ourselves.
Originally published at medium.com