Give Me The Strength....

In the US, and many other Western countries, obvious, heartfelt displays of emotion are not exactly frowned upon, but are generally saved for a more private setting. If a person (especially a man) cries in public, this makes people uncomfortable. Those of us involved in theatre or other performance know that "over-acting" is what many directors look for and praise, but it is hard to get people to overact because they subconsciously feel that a large display of emotion is "bad" or inappropriate. This is caused by our Western society's preconception that emotion, and the display of it, is a sign of weakness. This has changed more in the past century, but it is still subtly a part of daily life. 

This idea, of emotion being "bad" or incredibly private and not fit for public viewing, has been utilized for centuries: in countless civilizations, those who were strong were the people who displayed little or no emotion in public. Why, you ask? Because emotion is one of the basic human traits--humans feel and love so deeply that they have to show their feelings; it is how they communicate and thus form bonds, which are very important to the human psyche. Wherever this idea of emotion being a sign of weakness came from, it may have something to do with the fact that people are always searching for more. They do not want to be just human, and in ancient times especially, they wanted to be immortal or divine. And how do you show that you are not human? Why, you refuse to act human; you refuse to show the depth of feeling and emotion of which humans are capable. 

Humans are all about strength, but it is very odd (and a classic display of mankind's pigheadedness) that the only way we can be strong is if we appear to be something we are not. In this case, we hope to appear divine or immortal, or simply "better" than we are, by abandoning our humanity. One of the things that makes us great is our ability to feel. And we refuse to feel, or if we do feel, we do so in the dark of night. We are afraid that people will think worse of us for our displays of emotion. The Maori people of New Zealand, however, are exactly the opposite. Their haka dance and other religious and cultural rituals use emotion as a means of expression. This can actually make more Westernized people uncomfortable--it is our instinct to eschew those  who show all of their feelings. 

Anyone who has ever seen a haka, though, will tell you that although emotion is supposed to be a sign of weakness, the Maori are strong, and much more intimidating than their Western counterparts. This just proves that emotion, an essential human quality, does in fact make us stronger. The traits of humanity are not to be shunned in favor of divinity--they are to be embraced, because now more than ever, the human race needs strength.