“But there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
I am an educator and a family person. I believe that learning is beyond theories and concepts so come and join me in this collective effort of touching hearts and transforming lives. I would like the world to be aware of the thoughts of my students for each one of us has a voice and a story to be heard. With the advent of technology, the world and the echoes of our voices are limitless and without bounds so let us do our share in positively creating a change and impacting the world.
One of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami, popularized a Buddhist proverb in his book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, the saying, "Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." to which I wholeheartedly agree. A theorist by the name of Orval Hobart Mowrer even classified pain as a basic emotion. Meaning, it is a state that occurs automatically and spontaneously instead of consciously. While experiencing pain, one of the physiological arousal that could happen is crying to let it all out. To me, crying is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is an act of bravery for accepting vulnerability and has reached one's own tolerance, which is more than okay. Hey, I am a self-proclaimed crybaby and take no shame in that. I do cry effortlessly because I easily get hurt. But in the long run, amidst the (ugly) tears and the suffering I choose to be in, it is where I'll find the meaning in what I have gone through, either petty or not, and would bounce back from that, thinking that I am much more than that. Because next time, I already know what to do. Life surely does go on and doesn't wait for anyone.
ReplyDeleteI am the type of individual who doesn't want to see people crying because it makes me cry too and I am not ashamed to admit that I cry easily maybe because I have the heart for people that may seem so shallow but the understanding lies only within oneself. Past experiences in life especially the death of my father and other experiences, it made me shed tears but it taught me the virtue of courage. Courage that made me strong enough to risk what is sometimes good for the better and maybe for the best. Courage that taught me that I am capable of suffering for the grace that I will receive will serve as a reward. Tears taught me that life can be understood backward, but it must be lived forward. As Vivian Laramore Rader says “I’ve shut the door on yesterday and thrown the key away- tomorrow holds no fear for me, since I’ve found today.” It says that having no fear for you have learned to be stronger enough to cremate yesterday and face the present and tomorrow because I am trained to have the courage to suffer. The courage to live at the moment and face the future for the future frightens only those who prefer living in the past because I believed yesterday has passed forever and is beyond our control, what lies behind us is insignificant compared to what lies ahead. For the tears we shed yesterday makes us stronger today for we can be courageous enough to face tomorrow.
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