[Daily OM]: The last thing most of us want to
hear or think about when we are dealing with profound feelings of
sadness is that deep learning can be found in this place. In the midst
of our pain, we often feel picked on by life, or overwhelmed by the
enormity of some loss, or simply too exhausted to try and examine the
situation. We may feel far too disappointed and angry to look for
anything resembling a bright side to our suffering. Still, somewhere in
our hearts, we know that we will eventually emerge from the depths into
the light of greater awareness. Remembering this truth, no matter how
elusive it seems, can help.
The other thing we often would rather not hear when we are dealing with
intense sadness is that the only way out of it is through it. Sitting
with our sadness takes the courage to believe that we can bear the pain
and the faith that we will come out the other side. With courage, we can
allow ourselves to cycle through the grieving process with full inner
permission to experience it. This is a powerful teaching that sadness
has to offer us -- the ability to surrender and the acceptance of change
go hand in hand.
Another teaching of sadness is compassion for others who are in pain,
because it is only in feeling our own pain that we can really understand
and allow for someone else's. Sadness is something we all go through,
and we all learn from it and are deepened by its presence in our lives.
While our own individual experiences of sadness carry with them unique
lessons, the implications of what we learn are universal. The wisdom we
gain from going through the process of feeling loss, heartbreak, or deep
disappointment gives us access to the heart of humanity.