4th Emotion - "4E" / "Onlookers"

“Onlooker” (4th Emotion)

The 4th Emotion received the title of “onlooker” because it does not so much produce as consume artistic products. Although artists are not uncommon among “onlookers” (the example of the great Goethe will be quite expressive here), nevertheless, in the artistic sphere they are more focused on consumption than on creativity.

There is nothing wrong with the consumerism of the 4th Emotion and there is even a positive side: the “onlooker” is the best reader, listener, and viewer. He is omnivorous, mirror-like in his artistic perception, therefore, no matter what level of the functional hierarchy the Emotion of an artist stands, when he brings his creation to the attention of the “onlookers,” he will always find a grateful and adequate response. The 4th Emotion, so to speak, is emotionally non-partisan. And the thunder of the 1st Emotion, and the spill of the 2nd Emotion, and the whisper of the 3rd Emotion - everything is accepted by the subtle, sensitive soul of the “onlooker”. For him, there is only quality, but not the stylistic orientation of the work, which often allows the 4th Emotion to act as a qualified and impartial critic.

When the “onlooker” himself takes up an artistic craft that is not very characteristic of himself, but can be achieved without much difficulty, then this too can be quite interesting. Firstly, his subtle sense of style makes him an excellent parodist, imitator, epigone, and translator. Secondly, the absence of internal taboos, dogmas and blinders rewards the 4th Emotion with stylistic and genre freedom absolutely unknown to other Emotions. Goethe himself, who easily wrote in all sizes and genres known to him, is the best example of this.

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A remarkable property of the 4th Emotion is that in the life of the “onlooker” there is a period when his sensitivity does not seem to be the last in his internal hierarchy, but, on the contrary, the first. The feeling of the 4th Emotion in oneself as the 1st is associated with the endocrine system and is due to the special mode of operation of the hormonal mechanism during adolescence, i.e. period between 15 and 25 years. The fact is that it was during this period that nature initiated a particularly violent stimulation of the release of emotional hormones, creating the illusion of excessive sensitivity of nature; it was during this period that extreme sociability, passion for dancing, singing, poetry, art, show business, etc. occurred. And one gets the impression that nature specially organized emotional turmoil for this period in order to push the human individual towards reproduction (a lot has been said before about the special relationship between emotions and reproduction). But now, the age of the “onlooker” exceeds 25 years, and it turns out that his true interests lie in a completely different plane. He becomes calmer, withdraws, putting aside his brushes and scores. The secondary nature of feelings and dependence on the emotional structure of others become more and more obvious, and at the same time, the look of the 4th Emotion inside oneself becomes clearer and more objective.

"Onlooker" is not emotionally free. And Napoleon, with his 4th Emotion, often complained that his loved ones got used to grabbing him for this dependent place for selfish purposes. He told Caulaincourt: “I experienced this more than once with Josephine, who constantly turned to me with various requests and even caught me by surprise with her tears, at the sight of which I agreed to many things that I should have refused.”

At the same time, the idea of the 4th Emotion as a perfect emotional chameleon, absolutely colorless at a time of freedom from external emotional influence, would look extremely superficial. Indeed, the 4th Emotion is very dependent and weak in the face of someone else’s expansion of feelings, but this does not mean that in itself it is soulless and blind. Another thing is that it is rarely possible to find out what it is like in itself - in moments of loneliness - only then is it revealed what strengths, depths and riches are hidden in it. The only problem is that this doesn't happen often. Behind the wall, a tape recorder turns on, and the “onlooker’s” foot involuntarily begins to beat out the rhythm, a child bursts into tears in the yard, and the “onlooker’s” eyes become moist, his fair half bursts into the “onlooker’s” room with a furious scream and immediately receives a scream of equal fury in response. And off we go...