The Mark of Emotion.

I recently witnessed the pinnacle of human achievement.

It wasn't a scientific breakthrough. It wasn't a moment of incomparable selflessness. It wasn't an emotionally inspiring piece of art.

It was a mark in the forward pocket by an Essendon player at the MCG. There was 87 000 people there, all screaming for their team. And in that one moment as he rose above the pack and took hold of the ball firmly against his chest, it was the greatest accomplishment ever achieved by man kind.

Now as I sit at my desk three weeks later, I appreciate I might have got a bit carried away. I know it wasn't the best thing mankind has ever done. That was Weekend at Bernie's 2. But in that moment, nothing else seemed like it had ever been as important as that one mark.

I think it's a pretty special experience to feel like that. I guess that's why just watching sport is so richly rewarding. But every activity has that. Watching a play. Eating a meal. Making love. There's a magical moment where nothing else can compare. Although I don't think it's always a moment of inspiration.

It might be a mercy killing. It could be lying to a court. It surely has been at times a cruel and inhumane act. But in that one moment it seems so right to whoever is involved. There is clarity and there is justification. And we can never truly appreciate what has gone on in a persons mind in that moment. We are animals, blinded to everything surrounding us by our emotions. Unfortunately, we are not so empathetic that we can feel what it was like for that person in that moment.

That's why people's travel stories are boring unless we've been there. It's why we can't know what it's like to be a parent til we become one ourselves. It's the reason why someone says "She's gone." and as we hold them, we think 'Here we go...'

Not funny, or point-y, just something interesting about emotion and the human condition.