“I feel, therefore I am.”
This is the quiet creed of our time. It flips Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” and enthrones emotion as the deepest core of the self.
The result? A fragile anthropology. If my feelings define me, then I am nothing more than whatever I happen to feel today.
From Romanticism to Instagram
This creed has a history:
- Romanticism (18th–19th c.) exalted passion as the highest truth. The poet, not the priest, became the prophet.
- Freud & psychology (20th c.) reframed repression as sickness and expression as health.
- Postmodernism (late 20th c.) collapsed objective truth, leaving subjective feeling as the only remaining authority.
Today’s emotional authenticity is not a fad. It is the culmination of centuries of thought. And in the algorithmic age, platforms monetize it: perform your feeling, and you will be rewarded with attention.
The Fragile Self
The consequence is a culture of volatility:
- Selves reduced to moods.
- Communities splintered by emotional performance.
- Leadership destabilized by equating volatility with honesty.
When emotion becomes identity, people are tossed like leaves in the wind. Every shift in mood feels like a shift in existence.
The Biblical Counter-Vision
Scripture affirms emotion but refuses to enthrone it. The psalms rage, rejoice, and weep. Jesus weeps at Lazarus’ tomb and burns with zeal in the temple. Yet identity is never equated with feeling.
Paul anchors identity elsewhere:
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)
Identity precedes and interprets emotion. The gospel does not erase feelings, but reframes them:
- Anger becomes zeal when shaped by love.
- Fear becomes vigilance when grounded in trust.
- Joy becomes worship when flowing from gratitude.
The Spirit transforms emotions from masters into messengers.
Why This Matters
To locate the self in emotion is to build on sand. The tide of mood will always erode stability.
To locate the self in Christ is to build on rock. Storms still come, but the house stands (Matthew 7:24–25).
The Spirit-led self is not less human — it is fully human, because it is freed from the tyranny of feeling.
Reflection
- Where do I confuse intensity of emotion with authenticity?
- How has tying my selfhood to my moods made me fragile?
- What would it mean this week to treat emotions as guests in the house, not architects of it?