Crying: A Weird Heat Companion

Most of the time, crying has the unfortunate association with sadness. Whenever we see someone cry, it is automatic to assume the worst kind of tragedy. Certainly though, this is not always the case. Crying is the ultimate feeling of empathy. We cry when we are emotionally affected, out of sadness, joy, relief, and so on. It is not a bad thing to cry; rather, it is quite the opposite.

As one half the theater masks, sock and buskin, the Greek concept of catharsis describes the restoring feeling of emotional release. Crying is the purest form of catharsis. I like to think we are slowly acquiring emotions over time. When we cry, we are releasing this pent-up level of emotion--good or bad--in an effort to feel better. This feeling better is a return to emotional normalcy.

For me personally, I do not feel ashamed of crying, even if I do not make a show of it. To me, crying at an art form is commonly a sign of quality. If I feel that emotional tug, it means I am connected to the characters, the setting, or the events. If I am watching a sitcom, for example, and I get choked up when two of the characters get married--not an unhappy event--it means the show was successful at connecting me to the characters. The show was able to make them feel more real, more like people. Crying is a validation of these emotions.

Stepping out of the realm of art for a second, of course, we have to cry in our real lives as well. Some events, both happy and sad, are powerful enough to lead us to a state of crying. It is just as much of a release for true events in our lives as it is for fabricated events in fiction. While we accuse people unable of crying as emotionless robots, not crying is not an immediate sign of sociopathy. Instead, some people may be capable of carrying more emotion internally.

It is unfortunate we so often associate crying with sadness. It is perhaps more unfortunate that we generally perceive crying as a sign of weakness. We all build up emotion, and we all deserve the right to release through the comfort of tears.