That does not mean never ever having a single negative emotion, just as I presume that he was not speaking of never having any emotions of any kind.
I was, indeed, speaking of not having any emotions of any kind. Or rather, not qualitatively experiencing them; I’d get angry, for example, but I’d notice I was angry because my hands would start clenching of their own accord, not because I’d experience anything resembling an “anger” qualia, or have my thoughts actually influenced by my emotions. To such an extent that, because I didn’t experience either lust or love or any of the variations on those two themes as an internal emotive force, I assumed for many years I was asexual.
Ok. Personally I wouldn’t consider that to be preventing emotions, but ignoring them. I think it is an undesirable thing precisely because you don’t notice the emotions, but have them anyway, and they have consequences. Since you aren’t paying attention, you can’t do anything about those consequences.
I was talking about actually not having the emotions at all, as physical realities, which of course is not something that can be done 100% of the time.
I was, indeed, speaking of not having any emotions of any kind. Or rather, not qualitatively experiencing them; I’d get angry, for example, but I’d notice I was angry because my hands would start clenching of their own accord, not because I’d experience anything resembling an “anger” qualia, or have my thoughts actually influenced by my emotions. To such an extent that, because I didn’t experience either lust or love or any of the variations on those two themes as an internal emotive force, I assumed for many years I was asexual.
Ok. Personally I wouldn’t consider that to be preventing emotions, but ignoring them. I think it is an undesirable thing precisely because you don’t notice the emotions, but have them anyway, and they have consequences. Since you aren’t paying attention, you can’t do anything about those consequences.
I was talking about actually not having the emotions at all, as physical realities, which of course is not something that can be done 100% of the time.