Kirk vs. Spock

     Emotional appeals are everywhere. From the TV, to magazines, to billboards, and t-shirts galore, we spend a good majority of our day influenced by advertisements. And it's nailed down to a science: puppies for the awe factor, models for the wow factor, hashtags for the trend factor; we are invariably affected by our environment. Advertisers are smart; they know that consumers respond to emotional appeals. It's a technique that is tried and true. Take a quick glance at history: speeches and literature are littered with emotional appeals, in fact, they practically ooze hormones. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream", Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" are highly effective and well remembered because they played off the sentiments of the public. Sure there were probably speeches based solely on numbers and data, but we don't remember them. 

So why are emotional appeals so potent? I mean we're obviously a very emotional race.

 It's because humans aren't solitary creatures. We live in mass societies, we have rules and groups because we not only survive, but  we thrive on interactions. Emotions are a response to these interactions, they stem from a need to connect with others and empathize. Emotions separate humans from the machine.

So emotions are a part of human nature, but is that beneficial or injurious? Emotions aren't always a good thing. Though society places high value on protagonists who follow their heart or act upon their instincts, emotions cause irrationality. Mob mentality, hubris, jealousy, hatred, anger, and prejudice have led to wars, catastrophes, and the deaths of innocents. All evil comes from the same cache where good is created. 

Hitler used emotional appeals to manipulate the German sentiments against Jews. Castro did the same with the Cuban people and started a revolution. Lenin and Stalin managed to take over half of Europe and Russia by preying on the emotions of a broken, poverty-stricken people. It seems as if emotions have become our fatal flaw. The passion and care we feel can so easily be taken advantage of and manipulated into something much more sinister. 

So would it be better if we no longer had emotions? We would be able to think clearly and rationally and millions of lives would be saved. Or would they? It is our compassion and sense of obligation that makes us fight. It's this fierce stubbornness and need to protect that makes us try and save those who can't fight.  And it's our sense of right and wrong and love that allows us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of mankind. 

It's the classic head vs. heart: Kirk or Spock. Do you play it safe because the numbers tell you it won't happen or do you risk everything for one dream? Sure emotions can lead people astray but it is our nature. It is our humanity that allows us to feel these things, good and bad. It is our humanity that gives us the ability to love and remember. We don't know whether our humanity will be our downfall or out saving grace, but today it is a gift, so embrace it.