The Relationship Between Strong Emotions And Lump That Develops In The Throat

By Elizabeth Kelly

Just when one is about to have an emotional outburst there is one common feeling that we all seem to get called a lump in the throat. It is also the very same feeling that we experience when we just before we shout, yell or cry. It makes it difficult for us to say what we want to say and also to breathe normally. So how can we explain this lump?

This lump that we feel is not a physical one but it is more of a physical sensation. The throat becomes faced with the dilemma of carrying out two tasks simultaneously.

When we are emotional or feel like bursting into tears, this sensation comes about due to the fight or flight state that has kicked in. this state is triggered by our fear or anger stressing the body just before an emotional outburst. The heart is forced to pump faster due to this stress.

To give the heart the air that it needs to keep pumping as such, the lungs have to take in more air. This requires that the vocal chords stretch some more for us to take in as much air as possible with each breath.

A valve like opening in the middle of our larynx controls how much air will go into our lungs as we breathe in. this hole closes temporarily when we are trying to swallow something and it is called the glottis.

The work of controlling how the glottis opens or closes is done by our vocal chords. For instance, when one decides to scream then the vocal chords will demand that the glottis be at its widest and the opposite when we are trying to swallow.

The lumpy sensation occurs due to the deep breaths that we are taking. The glottis is forced to open its largest.

On the other hand, when it comes to crying, we normally try as hard as we can to swallow the tears that are forthcoming. This leads to the compression of the glottis. The simultaneous compression and expansion of the vocal chords at the same time therefore leads to the so called lump in our throats.

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This author also regularly writes about subject such as fluorescent shop light and wireless smoke alarms.

Sin And Existentialism - Nietzsche's Slave Morality

By David von Walland

Nietzsche attacked Christians, as symbolized by the Priestly class in his works, because they tricked the Noble class into submission. Superior strength and domination characterize the Nobles' morality while the Priestly class promoted humility, meagerness, non-violence, etc. Nietzsche claimed that the Christian morality, a slave morality, is killing us. The Christians brainwashed the Nobles by forcing them to believe in their own morality, namely calling strength, aggression, and violence bad and humility, love, and peace good. This in effect revealed the Priests' "will to power." Nietzsche correctly stated that slave morality is killing everyone in light of his Proto-Existentialism, however, the claim that some are violently aggressive while others are not does not sufficiently negate the will to power theory.

When we are born into this world, Nietzsche insists, we enter into a world depraved by slave morality. This morality, mainly the fault of the Christians, teaches the world to suppress their wrong or "sinful" desires. Although conservative Christians would never admit this, they have created a law on top of the Law. In fact, they too have become Pharisees, the very people against whom Jesus strongly spoke. This list of "do's and don'ts" usually consists of don't drink, don't smoke, don't watch R-rated movies, don't play cards, don't cuss, etc. and do go to church, do have a "quiet time," do pray, etc. In fact, Scripture at best vaguely warrants these commandments, many of which are man-made.

We begin to develop this morality and realize the impossibility of upholding these moral codes. The Christians despairs over his failure as a human being and constantly beckons God's grace. Nietzsche says that the battle lies in this tension. In a battle between right and wrong, a person easily loses confidence. The Priestly class wins the battle here because the Nobles allow guilt to overcome strength. Hermann Hesse's Demian illustrates this well. The protagonist, Sinclair, struggles throughout his childhood with the Christian sense of morality. Sinclair's friend, Demian, describes him as bearing "the mark of cain." The Biblical story of Cain and Abel explains that Cain murdered his brother Abel for offering a better sacrifice to God. Thus, God cast Cain out of the land and to bear a mark that all the nations would recognize as evil. One wishes to harness these ulterior motives once he recognizes the "evil" side to his personality, not smother it.

Existentialism really helps Nietzsche's argument here. Existentialism involves both a primacy on existence and radical free will (or indeterminism). Jean-Paul Sartre, for example, described existentialism as existence preceding essence. Meaning, man's makes his own destiny as opposed to man fitting some pre-determined destiny or essence. Nancy Holstrom, in a similar vein, describes a continuum of desire. A first order desire such as "I want pancakes," may result in eating pancakes. However, a second order volition "Pancakes are not healthy" may contest the first. If the second order volition causes one to not eat pancakes, it becomes the first order volition. Likewise, the Nobles can never let their second order volition of evil overcome their fear of and complacency with the Christian morality. Since the Nobles will never challenge the Priestly motives, they are not truly free, and cannot determine "man," or their lives.

Nietzsche clearly proves that all men will to power, whether it be through aggressive or passive-aggressive means. Hesse might suggest that those who aggressively will to power bear the mark of cain while the others will to power in more subtle ways. And Nietzsche recognizes that some do it in violent or passive manners, but it is clear that all will to power. The Noble would will to power by his strength and ability to dominate while the Priest wills to power by means of deception and trickery. It is through trickery, in fact, that the Priest brings the Noble down to his level, engraining a slave morality, and effectively conquering the Noble. If only the Noble would harness his "evil" side, then he may evade this Christian trap.

The slave morality, then, kills everyone because no one may effectively determine his own life, or existence. We are left to follow the status quo of conservative moralism, and when we battle with that morality, we fall prey to "sin" and reinforce the normative pietism. If one simply embraced his freedom, he would realize his own god-like power, and also understand fully his past lack of power. All will to power but those successful ones currently do so only through trickery and a rejection of their own humanity.

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