Sadness

It plagues us all. Sometimes, more deeply than other occasions. And for some maybe for longer durations than others. Maybe a person has never really been truly happy. Maybe they’ve never been truly sad. Well, yet that would be.
Point is, everyone experiences sadness at some time in their life. We all can relate to a slump of a mood and being unable to smile.
Now, this Thought isn’t on depression, as that’s a whole different ballgame. Instead, I want to focus on the emotion of sadness; feeling down.
It’s defeating, to put it lightly. It occurs as a reaction to something, either direct or indirect. It can prove to be a boundary line, how much a person can take before it hits home. Whether it’s from an insult or outside pressure, it’s an important line to respect. Way too often, people scoff and even take offense to it. As if their own boundary line should be farther, or better yet, nonexistent. But, why? Why is insensitivity and "toughness" so valued? In reality, these aspects are what make humans, well, humane. A very key essence of our consciousness, and many other living creatures as well, is our ability to feel.
Emotions are at the very core of everything humanity does. War, love, power, peace--it all begins with a burning emotion inside of a person brave enough to follow their feelings. Every advancement and backward stumble was started with a person or group that felt strongly for their current society and wished to change it. The life humanity has built up didn't just burst from the ground out of nowhere. It stems from the will to build, the motivation to innovate, the passion for greatness. None of which would be possible with our unique fire of emotion.
While each emotion may not be the most productive or pleasant, they each serve a purpose. An emotion is simply a reaction. The world around you shifts, and you respond. Your reactions serve as a small push for your brain to activate and work. You now have a goal to achieve. Anger shows that something must be fixed, confusion shows that a discovery is in order, boredom shows that something is lacking. An emotion doesn't have to be positive to be positive. As long as it's regulated, any emotion could prove to be useful.
Even sadness. The too well-known feeling of helplessness, wanting to cry, abandonment, or just an inexplicable sour mood. This is the one that intrudes my personal psyche all too often. I've always been a sensitive person, and I had my relentless tears to prove it. I always searched for a way to block out my unhappiness or rush through it. "Let yourself cry," was always the most popular response. Okay then--I cried. I would cry and sob and heave, millions of thoughts flashing through my head. To this day, I still do this occasionally. Instead of thinking of why I'm sad, I'd think of everything that could/has upset me. Even scenarios that never played out in real life could roll through my brain. I only let it. Little did I know, this was how emotions hurt us.
The point of an emotion is to be a response. As out of the blue as it may seem, there is always a trigger. We can then take advantage of this by searching for the trigger. Humans seem to do this with every feeling they get, except sadness and anger. For some reason, however, of those two, one has been labeled as a weak mockery and the other an intense defense. Embracing sadness is anything but weak. If a person or thing has hurt you so much you can't even muster up anger, then that should serve as more reason to handle sadness cautiously. When the feeling starts to overcome you, find out why. Sometimes it's a petty insult, other times its a deeply rooted unsolved issue. Yes, "let yourself cry," but know why.