"The world is afflicted with death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world."
I've known a lot of people like this, have you? You know, the strong, stoic person, usually an older person, who has endured suffering and loss and handles it well. Those unflappable people who don't wear their hearts on their sleeves....I've known some.
As a young person, I hoped to live a good life and therefore be spared from heartache and suffering. But alas, life does not work like that. In fact, everyone suffers at some point. Perhaps highly sensitive people suffer more than others?
So my thought is, what if we teach our children that life holds great pain, pain that is at times almost unbearable. We know it is there, it is coming, but it will also (in most cases) go away.
Do you speak this to your children? Do you simply show them by your actions? Do you prepare them for great heartache? Would this be too much of a burden for them? I'd love to know your thoughts.
(I am not feeling sad, so don't worry. Suffering is interesting to me. I am reading "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is giving me food for thought.)
2 comments:
I think it is important to let our children know suffering is part of life. Being happy is a temporary state. There are lessons to be learned from these times of hardship and uncertainty. Elly has had a tough time socially at school this year for the first time in her life, and I'm trying to teach her it is our response to a situation that matters more that the circumstance. Not an easy lesson at any age.
first of all, that is one of my all time favorite books! I got so much out of it! As for the pain of life, I believe it is often more harmful to try to shelter our children from 'the real world'. I try to talk to Evan about tough issues in a honest, straightforward, age-appropriate way. I really love what your friend Susan said above! Thanks for the interesting topic, Kate. We'll have to discuss in person sometime.
Hope your kids feel better!
Post a Comment