Ugh, these responses 😣. Thank you for sharing even though you do not owe anyone a God damn explanation. Especially after insensitive remarks. This point really resonated with me: "We as humans don’t always know the right things to say when attempting to comfort one another and instead of admitting that, we often say the wrong things." I find this especially true when I examine my shortcomings when it comes to death. There’s a handful of books in my cart I hope will guide me through being a compassionate space for others in the throws of grief.
Our society has made it so hard to simply say "I don't know what's the right thing to do or say here, but I want to say something" I know I'm guilty of not always saying the right things myself and remembering my own frustration makes me put more thought into how I'm attempting to comfort folks with my words. And, when I don't know what to say but I want to be of comfort, I've simply learned to say just that. Thank you for reading Rachel!
Ugh, these responses 😣. Thank you for sharing even though you do not owe anyone a God damn explanation. Especially after insensitive remarks. This point really resonated with me: "We as humans don’t always know the right things to say when attempting to comfort one another and instead of admitting that, we often say the wrong things." I find this especially true when I examine my shortcomings when it comes to death. There’s a handful of books in my cart I hope will guide me through being a compassionate space for others in the throws of grief.
Our society has made it so hard to simply say "I don't know what's the right thing to do or say here, but I want to say something" I know I'm guilty of not always saying the right things myself and remembering my own frustration makes me put more thought into how I'm attempting to comfort folks with my words. And, when I don't know what to say but I want to be of comfort, I've simply learned to say just that. Thank you for reading Rachel!
You're right. America's machismo can often make it seem like not having an answer is the wrong answer when often it is the most compassionate one.