Let's discuss Disgust. Initially, when I heard these words together I thought of two panicked people conversing on how to get rid of a body. Overwhelmed by the mess they created an interesting spec script would make.
Then I took a breath and relaxed into some research on the word's definition. The first links and descriptions used outside influences as triggers; disgust being a reaction to our offended emotions. It wasn't until several examples later that disgust was used to entertain a self-imposed meaning of the word.
So much of the word depends on standards, both socially and morally applied. It is acts that disgust people, far before the natural appearance of decay. I would like to think that smells would be at the top of the list instead of inherent judgement.
Disgust often arises when our senses and subconscious come together to say, "we will have none of this!" Sure, it's a survival mechanism, but who cares? Silently, disgust became an expression of judgement towards actions rendered. Wikipedia of course has a nice stack of evolution and cultural differences ready to explain this universal reaction.
To accept disgust as a valid emotion isn't something I ever really considered. And the only possibility of handling such a negative emotion is to use humor, naturally. Sometimes it's the only way to alter our uncomfortable perceptions. It's a shift that requires a certain amount of surrender on the part of the offended. One must bypass conditioning to rise above the disgust.
emotiontypology.com mentioned not to confuse disgust with contempt. The latter feels too close to anger for me to delve into at this time. It isn't weak sentimentality that I don't go into my thoughts on contempt, but rather a preference to discuss disgust.
Because we're the only creatures that feel that particular emotion.
No comments:
Post a Comment