The Dangers of Default Emotions

I have a confession to make. In my younger years I often claimed to be a victim because it was easier to place blame on something besides myself. It was easier than admitting I was wrong, easier to blame circumstance, or the other person when I clearly had a share of wrong-doing. I'm getting better at that now, at pointing the finger at myself when things don't go my way. This leads me to the main point of this entry.

Is it possible that we have lived with fear, anger, or sadness for so long that it becomes comfortable to us? Is it conceivable that we can use the emotion as a pillow, as a fallback? Is it also supposable that that emotion becomes so overriding, so ingrained in our psyche, that it drowns out other emotions and becomes a default emotion/reaction? The answer of course is yes. I believe that it is completely in the realm of possibility that a person has soaked themselves in so much fear, hate, anger or victimization that they need that feel that emotion in order for their world to seem "right". It is definitely unhealthy for these people to hold on to that default emotion. This can also be true for more "positive" emotions. Always seeing the world with rose-colored glasses is an example that comes to mind. So how do you get someone to take of those glasses, or get someone to not always think that they are the victim? I wish I had an answer, or at least one that's within the scope of this blog.

"The past should be remembered, not relived." - Unknown