Chapter Intro Ni Adler

At one time or another, you have probably imagined how different life would be if you became disabled in some way. Although the thought of losing your eyesight, hearing, or mobility might be frightening, it can remind you to appreciate the faculties you do have. Now, have you ever considered how life would be if you somehow lost your ability to experience emotions?

Although life without feelings wouldn't be as dramatic as other disabilities, its effects would be profound. An emotionless world would be free of boredom, frustration, fear, and loneliness. But the cost of such a pain-free existence would be the loss of emotions like joy, pride, and love. Few of us would be willing to make that sort of trade-off.

The role of emotions in human affairs is apparent to social scientists and laypersons alike. When Yale University psychologist Robert Sternberg (1985) asked people to describe an "intelligent person," one of the skills listed was the ability to understand and get along with others. This ability to get along was characterized by psychologist Daniel Goleman (1995) as one aspect of "emotional intelligence." Goleman makes the claim that intellectual ability is not the only way to measure one's talents, and that success in the world depends in great part on the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions and be sensitive to others' feelings.

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...many of us lose the ability to feel deeply. Just as a muscle withers away when it is unused, our capacity to recognize and act on certain emotions decreases without practice. It's hard to cry after spending most of one's life fulfilling the role society expects of a man even when the tears are inside (Hmmm...may kilala akong ganyan. Robots, beware!). After years of denying your anger, the ability to recognize that feeling takes real effort (MJ, ikaw ba yan?). For someone who has never acknowledged love for one's friends, accepting that emotion can be difficult indeed.

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At para sa tulad kong malimit magpahiwatig ng positibong emosyon, isang disadvantage ang pagiging lapitin ng kabag. Saka ako iiyak at 'di makakatulog. Nagkwento pa mandin si Gianne ukol sa partisipasyon ni Joca sa Freshmen Night. Spice Girls ang drama. Una, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome baby spice... ginger spice...and Old Spice!" Di ko nakaya. Nagmumultong muli ang mga alaala ng high school. And speaking of multo, kinuha ko ang kumot at flashlight kagabi. Tinakot ko si mama sa kabila ng paninigas ng tiyan ko at nagbabadyang pagsusuka. Di ko alam kung pa'no ko nagawa yun.