How hard can it be to shed a tear?
I can hardly remember the good old days when crying got me (almost) anything I wanted.
I cried and my mother would offer me her breast. I cried and my sister would voluntarily hand over her favorite toy. I cried and my grandmother would buy me those sweets. Those were indeed the good days. Almost anything could be achieved by shedding a few tears.
Why did I stop?
There came a time when I learned that that crying was a sign of weakness, particularly for boys or men as we were evolving into the «mature» state of manhood.
We lose a loved one and give a shoulder to those grieving openly. Our own children get hurt, physically or emotionally, and we comfort them. Not to cry clearly turned out to be a sign of strength.
How hard can it be to shed a tear?
I recently attended a fool’s workshop. It wasn’t my first one. My initial attempt to become a fool resulted in what I remember as my most emotional week in adulthood. Never before had I laughed and cried as much as in those 5 days. How different would this most recent dive into foolishness be? Not much as it turned out.
One of the exercises consisted of standing face to face with another workshop attendee I hadn’t met before and telling each other for two minutes what we loved and hated. This triggered strong emotions on both sides. It involved laughing and crying. Once again.
Laughing and crying. Do they go hand in hand? Aren’t they antidotes?
They are representations of one and the same. To laugh is as much a sign of being emotional as is the act of crying. It turns out, it can be equally healing, especially when happening in an environment of trust and care.
So why restart?
It shows us our innermost human part. We are not just efficient production machines. Being functional isn’t our purpose. Just to do our job isn’t what we and others will remember about ourselves.
It is those moments when we are lost in laughter and tears that give us meaning. Sitting in a train car, typing these lines and shedding a tear while most people around me play with their smartphone reminds me of the power of being human.
Powerful. Joyful. Easy.
