Every laugh, every tear, every gut instinct gets dissected, coded and tagged as “ useful” or “ not.” To which I reply: WHERE ARE YOU?! behind the bars of objective thinking — where logic is lord and emotions are exiled to the attic — THE ATTIC!

If you’ve ever tried to justify the sadness you feel over a sunset or why you cried when your toast was burnt, you’ve known this. It’s not only frustrating — it’s soul-crushing.

But don’t worry. Nietzsche, Sartre and their consortium of philosophical weirdos are throwing a breakout.

Why is it all about logic anyway?

Let’s start with Friedrich Nietzsche, the dude who strolled in, flipped the table and announced, “ God is dead.” Bold move. What he really meant (other than to ignite eternal arguments) was that we’ve exchanged myths, gods and meaning for spreadsheets and pie charts. Now we kneel before the idol of reason. Nothing can “ not make sense” or it is thrown away like a smelly sock.

This is what Nietzsche would call the victory of the Apollonian — order, logic, reason — over the Dionysian — chaos, primal passion, the fun stuff. But here’s the twist: Nietzsche didn’t intend for us to wallow in our loss of feeling. No, he challenged us to accept our inner chaos, to indulge in the less tidy parts of being human.

Imagine a world in which it’s not just acceptable to feel overwhelmed by a piece of music or to cry during a movie — it’s to be celebrated. Nietzsche would be proud. And so would I.

To the rescue, existentialists!

The philosophical equivalent of a punk rock anthem. Sartre and Camus didn’t pull punches: life is absurd, they said. Meaning doesn’t come pre-packaged with it. But rather than sobbing into their coffee, they shrugged and did the “ Yeah, so what?”

Emotions, for existentialists, are not mere “ extra fluff” — they’re signals that you’re alive, that you’re doing your best in this “ cauldron of chaos” of a universe. Sartre’s famous line that “ Man is condemned to be free” was not about Coke vs. Pepsi. It’s about the frightful, exhilarating freedom you learn to give yourself to go one, and create your own meaning.

And those ugly feelings? What about them? They’re not challenges to overcome; they’re fuel. Your anger at injustice? Proof you care. Your sadness over a breakup? Proof you loved. Your realisation when the kitty finally displaces all of its excrement on the neighbours garden? Evidence that you are capable of connection.

The shadow of nihilism

But hold up! Before you distribute “ Feelings Matter” bumper stickers, let’s discuss nihilism. If existentialism is the edgy protagonist, nihilism is its dark, sleazy cousin who slouches against walls and mutters, “ Nothing matters.”

Nihilism tells you that it’s all meaningless — your feelings, your labor, your life. And honestly? You know it’s hard not to capitulate. Because if nothing matters, then you don’t have to care.

Nietzsche offered an alternative view. Nihilism, for him, was not the end, but a beginning. When the old ways crumble and the rules no longer apply, you don’t need to listen to anybody — you can create something new. If reason dictates that your feelings are pointless, nihilism barges in and declares, “ Go on, create your own meaning!”

So… what’s the plan?

You don’t need to take a side. So logic can be married with emotions. Logic is the map, while emotions are the compass. The map tells you what the terrain looks like, but the compass tells you where you really want to go. Neither can function without the other. They are intertwined like quantum entanglement, influencing each other no matter how far apart they may seem.

Kierkegaard, the existentialist dad, would dub this a “ leap of faith.” Trust your emotions. They’re messy and unpredictable, but they’re also TRUE. They are not flaws to be fixed; they are truths to be embraced.

Let’s get messy!

Nietzsche counseled, “ Become who you are.” Translation? Stop trying to squeeze your feelings into tiny, neat boxes. They can rage, weep, laugh and fling glitter. Question why we’re so afraid of them in the first place.

The deepest moments in life are not rational. Love doesn’t “ make sense.” Grief has no place on a PowerPoint slide. Joy isn’t a statistic you can argue with the data. And that’s the sum of the whole freaking point!

But the prison of objective thinking isn’t just a cage for your emotions, it’s a cage for you. But here’s the good news: the key has been in your pocket all along. Feel silly already?

So, go ahead. Laugh at the line of a not funny joke, or a toddler tripping on the street (with empathy of course). Sneeze, then cry over a viral YouTube video of cute, baby goats. Feel, unapologetically. You’re not only breaking out of the prison, you’re destroying it and having a dance party in the ruins of it.

Or as Camus summed it up, “ The struggle itself… is enough to fill a man’s heart.” Life is messy, chaotic and beautiful. And isn’t that the idea?

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