It’s Ok To Cry…!!!

We are all aware that ISRO’ Chandrayan 2 mission wasn’t a complete success after all communication with Vikram Lander was lost, after a supposedly hard landing on moon’s south pole.

Pictures and videos of ISRO chief K Sivan, who broke down in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were doing rounds in the social media, as he was leaving the ISRO center in Bengaluru. The inconsolable senior scientist was hugged by the Prime Minister.

While most people were supportive of Mr Sivan’s considering the efforts he and his team had put in, there were few who considered it a sign of weakness.

What makes crying, which is considered normal or rather important at birth, a sign of weakness for boys/men later in life. Crying is considered a sign of being expressive for women, but not so for men as they are not expected to display emotions publicly.

Is it the social conditioning expecting men to be devoid of any emotions, just to portray themselves as strong correct? At one point, we talk about moving towards gender neutral society where both men and women are equal and share equal responsibilities. On the other hand we give undue importance to this behavior.

Let us understand that crying is a natural response that humans have for a range of emotions, including sadness, grief, joy, and frustration. Crying has health benefits as well as It releases toxins and relieves stress. When humans cry in response to stress, their tears contain a number of stress hormones and other chemicals. Researchers believe that crying could reduce the levels of these chemicals in the body, which could, in turn, reduce stress. Crying also restores the body to a state of balance.

The Japanese are such strong believers in the health benefits of crying that they’ve taken that wisdom to the next level. Some cities in Japan  have “crying clubs” called rui-katsu (meaning, literally, “tear-seeking”), where people come together to indulge in good old-fashioned sob fests.

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To move towards a society where such instances do not make headlines, we have a long way to go.

After all crying just a  way to express one of the human emotions….

First published here.

Image via Pixabay

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