​Times of crisis 29 – having a good cry

I think myself lucky to have been through what I might call the feeling revolution in England in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Before this it wasn’t very acceptable for men to show their emotions, especially at a time of crisis. This got turned around when women started looking for the new, sensitive man. Then it became fashionable for men to have emotions! We were helped along by the tragedy of Lady Diana’s death. What a milestone that was in the emotional evolution of the male sex! So now, at a time of crisis like this, we can have a good cry along with everybody else and feel a lot better. The ability to experience an unpleasant feeling rather than tighten up against it can actually be a sign of strength too, in my eyes we are no less men for showing emotion. It can be the case also, however, that people with a very strong spiritual nature will start having emotions different to the normal, cry for different reasons. Different perceptions lead to different emotions. So there should not be a socially imposed standard on emotion either. We have to understand that people see things differently. Still we may question our perceptions or those of others later but tissues always come first. Crying in response to a good, wholesome perception could be our spiritual definition of what it could mean to ‘have had a good cry’.

​I offer this for your reflection

Ajahn Kalyāno
http://www.openthesky.co.uk