My understanding of EMO-ing

Our generation (or the multiple eras after mine) have long been branded as angsty, melancholic or to use a more modern term - EMO. I do have my fair share of friends who go into periods of EMO-ing and I thought I would share my perspective of this particular feeling we sometimes get.

First these are two stands I want to make:

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1) I DO NOT think emo-ing is bad. To me emo-ing serves two purposes. The first is for you to reflect and through this reflection you can grow. Too often we look around us for ways to achieve growth but many forget that the greatest source of growth lies within us. Instead of foraging in the bags of others for growth, we should just look into our own backpack. Often this reflection will reveal many things you neglected before.

The second purpose for emo-ing is to remind you that you are still human. In this competitive society where weakness is abhorred and scorned, everybody wants to put up a brave front. They train themselves to never reveal their real emotions easily. Slowly, you lose the very essence of being human. Nothing is more fearful than the hardening of the heart. Humans are not super-humans. They have their strengths and their weaknesses and emo-ing reminds you that you are still fragile at times like a human and not unfeeling like a computer.

2) I DO NOT support excessive emo-ing. Other than the extreme cases of kissing your wrist with blades or enjoying the scenery on the beautiful parapet, excessive emo-ing still has its adverse effects on the average person. Emo-ing is like running around in a pond filled with piranhas. When you run around quickly you grow in terms of agility and speed but when you stay there too long, you can never gurantee that you won't be bitten by those flesh-eating monsters. Prolonged emo-ing transforms into a quicksand. Once you start sinking into it, it is extremely difficult for you to escape with external help.

After all these "DO NOT"s, here is a piece of advice I have which is purely personal opinion. Don't take it as your bible.

If your friend is emo-ing:

If you do not have the time to counsel your friend who is emo-ing or you do not know how to do it, DON'T even start. All you end up doing is say useless things like "cheer up" or "weekends are coming, you'll have a great time". These are but shallow talk skimming the surface of the water like the pebbles your throw to make ripples.

If you are emo-ing:

Don't come looking for me unless I know you well. HAHAHAA.. I wouldn't want to be the next SOS hotline.. I still need to consider the feelings of my phone bill and phone battery. Okok.. just joking. Tip here: Take a deep breath, close your eyes, tell yourself everything will get better and (optional) take a nap. Seems stupid? Well, self-delusion or self-hypnotism is rather useful. Anorexic girls who look in the mirror every day and say to themselves "I am beautiful like this, I do not need to slim down" do end up recovering better. Actually I don't mind lending a listening ear but I can't promise I can always attend to you at that instant. :)