It's a perfectly human thing to do to find something, get excited, learn a little, and then become a self righteous douchebag,

HAHAHA!!! Ain't that the truth. I almost didn't need to read any further. I didn't answer this question as it was far too complex and I didn't want to sound like a douchebag. Everything is sensation - being aware of sensation can stop emotions arising - well, the destructive ones that influence our actions eg anger, shame - and the great ones we get attached to eg love. Just being mindful of how it happens in the body (felt sensation as response to stimuli, thoughts, memories etc) helps us be creators rather than the victims, fo'sure.