Dr. Martin Hash Podcast

It may be disappointing to know that we act only as a result of chemistries in our brain but the human body isn’t magical, there must be something that controls the inner-workings of our complicated lives. Rather than dwell on the mechanics, it's more productive to identify the positive emotions built on that reality: there's our optimism, hopefulness and confidence about the future, and the successful outcome of the tasks we perform to stay alive; there's compassion, which is the sympathy, pity & concern we have for the sufferings & misfortunes of others; and there's our ambition; the desire & determination for achievement.

It's not so much that we have these positive emotions, it's how they manifest themselves as charity, voluntary giving of help to those in need; love, which is the comfort & affection we give to those around us; and ingenuity, the creative & essential inventions we use in solving problems. All of these things are absolutely required for human beings to exist; without any one of them, the species would fail. The same cannot be said for the negative emotions of fear, envy, anger & resentment, which manifest themselves as passive-aggressiveness, spite, perversity & vindictiveness. It's not so clearcut how these things contribute to the advancement of humans; let's hope the positive emotions win out.