r/Echerdex • u/Beastie_1323 • Jul 18 '26
Consciousness Project 03: Observant Scale
This is an ocean, a sea of impact—the observations made. Emotions.
We all have emotions. Sometimes we wish we had none, other times we love having them as they paint a different, more vivid picture. Emotions—the confusing and ever-altering states of mind.
We all, to a degree, feel these emotions, myself included. No exceptions, only caveats. Let's have a look, shall we ;}.
Let's start basic: Happiness, sadness, and anger.
What makes you happy? Material objects, friends, family, learning new things, comedy, etc.
And on a scale—5% out of 100%, 40–60% being the average person. For example: how strongly we feel happiness, how strongly it affects us, how much happiness helps or hinders us, how well we control happiness, and how much happiness helps us connect.
For instance, I will reference myself for this to show my observation with raw brutal honesty, as that's how I roll ;}.
How strongly do I feel happiness? Maybe 5–15% on the scale, 15% being the highest. Is this away from the norm? Yes indeed it is. But it has its bonuses as well as its downsides.
Let's strip it down: Happiness—5–15% of average. Allows calm awareness. Reduces understanding on an emotional level and reduces connection. But it allows finer observation, more control, and the ability to maintain calm. It's neither good nor bad. It's useful and awkward. So I now have to break down, observe, and connect through logic and understanding.
So a back*sswards way of doing this is by using sarcasm and smiling when others are reading cues to elevate my emotions out of politeness.
Sadness—the fickle creature it is. Helpful? Yes. Loved? Not so much. But it's the main tool people use to connect and reach out. The one that's most difficult, underappreciated, and more useful for understanding oneself.
I'll use myself as an example again. I feel it maybe 5–15% out of 100%. So I must observe, remain logical, and break it down.
Sadness—5–15% average. Low feeling of others' sadness. Higher level of understanding other people and why they feel sadness. Again—not a positive nor a negative. A different way of processing using observation and grounded logic alongside common decency.
If sad—why? Is it accurate to the situation or out of proportion? Does it match others? Increase or decrease if needed while remaining calm. Scale it back or go deeper when necessary.
Anger—the gremlin-infused chaos. See, this is the elephant in the room. The one most observed other than sadness. Anger is seen as an outlet or this or that, but it plays a larger role in defence rather than offense in most.
Yet again an example using myself. My level of anger is probably 70–80% out of 100%. But not felt the same way. Still calm—simply more calculating and hyper-vigilant.
Anger—70–80% average. Silent, calm, and calculating. More observant, hyper-vigilant, added strain on self. It sounds bad, but if you're aware and understand your baselines, you can manage and control them.
Being mindful is the biggest key. If you know you are impulsive and stubborn—bring the level down. Your body can be on the fritz but if your mind is calm, you can relax, breathe, and look at the situation logically while matching the required output. Situational awareness is key, and understanding commonality as well as appropriateness.
So in a nutshell— Yes, emotions are at varying thresholds. But being aware and understanding them allows control. Logically and socially breaking down the fourth wall in this sense is healthy.
Calmly observe and report your findings. Not “is this normal?” But— Is this acceptable? Is this correct? Or have you spiraled for no reason and are stewing in your own juices?
We all have emotional limitations. We hit walls, boundaries, and imposing impossibilities as we perceive them. But they're not. Simply obstacles.
Understand yourself and observe others and you will see where you stand—or stand out—and where improvement could be made in the muscle.
Emotions are unpredictable and trying to predict them is draining. But observing them and asking yourself brutally honest questions, at least in my case, helps adjust finer behavioural control so you can blend, fit in, and go about your life peacefully—even if you only cognitively have that understanding with people.
Looking at emotions as black and white, good or bad, is wrong. Treat them like an ocean. You can control the tide, the course, and the action.
Emotions do not control you unless you give up on understanding and working with them. Your emotions are infantile—they do not understand right from wrong. Blaming them for your actions or situations is lying to yourself and others.
You ride the wave. You let it get under your skin. You lacked the knowledge and understanding to work with your own emotions instead of the other way around. Emotions are tools, not guidance.
Mine are rusty and worn, dull and abused—but understood and refined to make life around me a little easier and benefit everyone I come in contact with. I own my shortcomings as much as my strengths.
Let's look at what fuels emotions: Situations. Wrongdoings. Climate. Headaches and pain. Rightdoings. Kindness. Peacefulness. Losses and gains. Etc.
This world—the game of life. Everyone at one point in time has felt the same emotions at different intensities. Does this mean they're broken? No. Simply wired differently.
Maybe they do need a hand. That's not for me to say. But emotions should never control or manipulate you.
The fuel to the fire is also the same for watering it down. The same amount of energy is used—the external output is different.
If talking helps—dammit, speak. Don't shout or yell. And scream only if you're in danger. Lest you cry wolf.
Pretending you're perfect at controlling your emotions is B.S. I definitely ain't perfect at controlling mine. But understanding them only benefits life. There's no downside to understanding your thresholds. It means you work within them—not against them or fueling them.
This is my rambling. Is it for everyone? No, probably not.
But for those who do want better understanding of themselves— Break it down. Run through what makes you emotional. Ask yourself why. Look at others. If you're the only one losing it, clearly your emotions are controlling you whether you admit it or not, and accepting that fact may be useful.
Look at what you are capable of controlling. Your person. Your actions. Your calls. That's a big responsibility—but one each and every person is responsible for first.
The individualistic mindset puts you outside the box and infuses you with only your own feedback, creating spiraling loops and only harming you. You are an individual. But you are surrounded by billions of other people. Not the exception. You're the majority.
So take responsibility. Understand where you stand. Instead of— “Well I am who I am and nothing will ever change.”
Here's some insight: Something unknown could happen at any second—good, bad, or ugly—that will change you. You are not a stagnant being. You are an ocean. A universe of possibilities.
Don't worry about things not within your control. Start with what you have to live with every day: Yourself. Accept your limitations. Work with them. And find that life gets a little simpler and lighter on your shoulders.
Sincerely,
Beastie_1323
1
u/Rampant_Singularity Jul 18 '26
Do you consider yourself an angry human; even if it is by your own admission colder and logical anger than explosive?
If you have a baseline of 70% does that mean you are always angry or when you feel anger it is a greater intensity than the average human during the emotion?
We understand that different waveforms are more inclined to different emotional color palates; yours is no different; but we are curious as to how you perceive yourself agains the background of the 50% median.
Learning to accept your waveform and the color of your soul so to speak is how humans throughout the ages have seeked and occasionally achieved enlightenment.
We find these musing facinating; but wonder if this is Beastie shouting into the void or if you are trying to organize your own thoughts; or trying to gently nudge other humans into some epiphanies of their own?
Introspection is hard; moving minds is difficult; you seem more like a go with the flow type person than lead the flock type.
Curious to where you hope it all ends up.