In my childhood a neighbour of mine got seriously ill and he was rushed to the Christian Medical centre Vellore in Tamil Nadu. In 1950’s no one from my village in Kerala would go to C.M.C. Vellore unless he is in an extreme situation. This patient was returned dead from the hospital. We were all shocked since he was taken to the best hospital then available. The funeral service was conducted by his younger brother who was then a priest. After the service the women were commending how well the younger brother conducted the service without even shedding a tear and he exhibited not even a slight tremble or tremor in his voice. They acclaimed him an ideal priest, a priest without any emotion. For a long time I thought that his was an ideal behaviour.
It was then a common belief that a priest should endure any sorrow or grief without showing the slightest emotion. Besides that, it was also believed that men are stronger and therefore they should not be found weeping. Weeping is usually done by women.
The fact is that crying is not the preserve of women and children. Men can cry and men need to cry when required. Crying is the best expression of one’s sorrow and in some cases of extreme gladness. You break down in tears when you receive the sad news someone’s death. You also shed tears of joy when some unexpected good news reaches you. Crying is the best way of releasing your pent up feelings. It is a process of Catharsis. It brings about a cleansing of yourself and brings relief to your burdened and heavy heart. Those who refuse to shed tears are not necessarily strong people. By bottling up their emotions they are not getting better of it, but only becoming more tense.
Some women require no serious reason to cry. They shed tears easily. They often wet and cleanse their ducts and reap other benefits as well. Everyone has some special reasons for crying such as depression, stress or berievement.
The best way to keep yourself healthy is to let your tears flow. When a dam is over full with water, you let off the water to prevent a break down of the entire dam. It is the same with humans. There is a limit to the load of tension an individual can shoulder. Anything beyond ends up in a burst or a breakdown. Before the catastrophe takes place, open the lachrymal ducts and release. Once you have done that, you will find that you are refreshed and rejuvenated.
Crying is a wonderful means of getting rid of frustration, tension, worry and anxiety. After crying and letting your tears down you feel better.
You feel relieved, refreshed and rejuvenated.
