(no subject)

 

Connor: Yes, but statically-speaking, it's improbable enough that it shouldn't warrant concern.

Jaya: *claps his shoulder* I will say... sometimes fear isn't logical... and that's okay.

Connor: ........... *uncertain nod, quietly* Much like...any other emotion...?

Jaya: *chuckles* Yeah, pretty much. Emotions are not very logical... sometimes they're not logical at all.

Connor: *quiet...looks confused to the point of...troubled? dismayed? hard to say* Why is that? Do you know?

Jaya: ...No... Sometimes I think emotions are our way of reacting to something because it's not how we think it should be, or because it's different, for better or worse, from what we expected. I know that doesn't cover all emotions, and I know it doesn't really apply to all situations, it's... just a thought for some time.

Connor: ...I see…

Jaya: Heh. *gives Connor a companionable snug* Sorry. Honestly we spend most of our lives trying to figure out what we’re feeling, why, and working to feel something different much of the time. Sometimes what we feel is medical, sometimes what we feel is brought on by a mix of previous experiences and current events, like your... technically your predecessor’s... previous experience of falling and your current event of suddenly being much higher than you could go under your own power and with a complete lack of control over the situation. Sometimes what we feel is an instinctual reaction to something, like why rotting food disgusts us, we know it’s not safe and so our instincts to survive make certain we react with the appropriate emotion to ensure survival. For you? I don’t know if medical reasons or instinctual reasons would have anything to do with how you experience emotions or not, but the situational emotions based on past and present experiences? I can’t see how you’d not have those kinds of emotions. You have past experiences, depending on what they are a certain situation may bring back feelings of fear, or pride, or longing, joy, sadness, regret, and you have to work through the current situation and the past situation to determine if what you’re feeling makes sense. Does fear logically apply to this situation? Well... yeah, actually. Your past experience taught you that falling is bad, it can kill you, so being up high, with no control over how high or whether or not you’ll fall? Fear is logical. Just because I’m unlikely to drop you doesn’t mean it’s impossible, and it’s normal to consider those slim chances, consciously or not. What if I got shot by a hunter? Would I be able to hang onto you? What if I swallow a bug and start choking? Would I be able to hang onto you? What if I have a heart attack? Would I be able to hang onto you? Are any of those likely? No. But are they possible? Yes. That they’re possible is what brings out the fear, that they’re possible is what makes that fear logical, that they’re so unlikely to happen is what makes that fear illogical. Now you have to figure out how to work past that fear to let logic win out in your mind, which is a lot easier said than done, and all considering, you did a good job of it.