To feel is to be human. It is to be alive and acknowledge the part inside of each of us that inspires every mundane action, such as brushing away the comfort of a blanket to greet the morning sun. I accept my feelings as an informal declaration to the world that robots can be at my fingertips, reside in my peripheral line of sight, and further my technology all they want, but can never experience the same depth of emotion that fuels my vigor.

I’m told often that I need to be logical. I need to argue without fierce attachment. I need to stop crying. But these presumable “needs” consist of the very reasons I crave life the most. While at times I cannot convey my ideas in a single stroke, I’ve acknowledged that the paintings that capture the eye and demand endless admiration were created with a variety in action. With both deliberate and unintended movements of the brush, the artists that further curiosity know how to disguise sporadic ideas as a solely fine-tuned creation. It may take me longer to argue or explain by having my deepest feelings be intertwined with my memories and thoughts, but it is with this fostered vulnerability that I define myself as human.

When learning about oxymorons in English, I couldn’t help but to think that the inclusion of a “good cry” as an oxymoron is fundamentally wrong. By definition, oxymorons consist of opposing words that could never truly coincide-contradictory terms. I can say firsthand, however, that I have good cries rather frequently. I let films sway my emotions in the direction of the characters’ journeys. I relieve myself in times of sadness, perhaps when a certain novel resonates in theme. I welcome the tears of laughter provoked by my friends’ humor, until I feel cramps in my stomach that pulse with great fervor. I will always greet these cries, as they let me feel.

I have to remind myself that nurturing my feelings is a necessary deed and requires no real questioning. I am proudly boarded on a passage that travels every curve of the canyon and tide of the ocean, and I allow this range to inspire my personal trek through the haze of emotion occupying my horizon.