Why We Cry

Crying is, in my opinion, a God-given way for humans to heal. The body uses it to release pain, guilt, frustration, and sadness. Some people wail; others silently shed tears. Each of us has our own way of expressing our feelings through tears. With each tear shed, the feelings slowly begin to lose their grip on us and we can begin to return to some sense of normalcy.

There are many reasons we cry. We cry when we are physically injured. We cry when someone hurts us emotionally through shame, disgrace, or downright meanness. We cry when we see or hear something sad, i.e. music, a movie, a story. We cry when we are angry and frustrated.

But I believe that one of the deepest and most lasting reasons we cry is when we lose someone very close to us. I believe it to be one of the greatest causes of weeping this side of eternity. When we lose a loved one, especially suddenly, a huge, gaping void is created in our lives and the only way to express that void is through crying. We realize that that person and the place he or she held in our lives can never be replaced. Their existence in our innermost being cannot be filled by any other person or thing no matter how much we try to make something else fill that void. The pain of losing it is as if part of yourself has been ripped out and thrown away.

The only thing that will calm the raw nerves is time. Yes, the hole will always remain. But with time, the edges will be softened and the pain will become less raw and more pensive and melancholy. And for those of us who know where we are going when we die, the pain becomes bittersweet and can contain a small amount of jealousy. Even though we are parted, we know we will see them again one day and will be able to spend eternity with them.