Why It’s Good to Feel Sad

I was feeling sad today. There was no apparent reason that I could pinpoint. Probably a multiplicity of reasons. All converging together. There were a number of things I could’ve done to feel better, and yet I did none of them! Well, that’s not entirely true. I prayed. In my prayer I gave thanks to God for all the little things we so often take for granted. But I didn’t pray and say, “God, make me feel less sad.” I could have! But I didn’t. And although I did feel better for a spell, as often happens when one takes time to ruminate on his blessings, I was soon overtaken by a gloomy spirit again. So I did what I did best when in a state of sadness. I thought. I thought about what it means to be sad and why we feel sad and what the purpose behind sadness really is. This is what I concluded:

Its the saddest people, and not the happiest, who are the most self-aware. Melancholy has a way of inducing introspection that happiness and joviality prohibit! So although it’s not good to be sad all the time, you don’t want to feel good all the time either! In fact, next time you are really down in the dumps, take the time to examine your heart a little bit. You’ll find all sorts of stuff in there (WARNING: it’s not all good stuff! cf. Jeremiah 17:9).

Being sad means you are human. I don’t think there’s a human being on Earth who hasn’t been sad. Although my grandpa on my mom’s side seems like he’s immune to despair! Not sure what’s up with that.

Sad people are usually more considerate of others. It takes one to know one! If you’re someone who’s had to deal with a lot of sadness in your life I bet you’re pretty good at seeing it in others aren’t you? And you’re that much more equipped to provide a fellow saddy with consolation. Thank the Lord for people like you! You can see the sadness in someone’s eyes far quicker than the happy-go-lucky chap who only sees roses. Roses are great, don’t get me wrong, but there’s always weeds in the garden. And you can’t pluck ‘em if you can’t see ‘em!

Sadness is conducive to creativity. Can you imagine a world where all the songs and books were written by happy people? My goodness, that would be the saddest reality of all! Talk about borrrrringgggg. Snooze fest. Sure, I love a happy ending, but not all endings can be happy! Some of the most memorable works of literature are tragedies, not to mention the majority of the Psalms are lamentations. Imagine a Romeo and Juliet with a fairytale ending! Nah, doesn’t work. Take the following excerpt from Tennyson’s ‘In Memoriam’:

I sometimes hold it half a sin

To put in words the grief I feel;

For words, like Nature, half reveal

And half conceal the Soul within.

But, for the unquiet heart and brain,

A use in measured language lies;

The sad mechanic exercise,

Like dull narcotics, numbing pain.

Such words couldn’t be written by a happy man! Of what can a happy bloke write? Sure, I admit, happiness has its place at the tip of a pen… but few things are as moving as sorrow.

Finally, sad people are more in tune with reality than happy people. I said it! I can’t deny that the realest people I’ve met are also some of the saddest! I think it’s because they recognize all the little absurdities in life and it’s left them a pinch cynical. Happy people overlook too many things! This isn’t altogether bad. On the contrary, if we were all cynics we’d get nowhere! The world needs both realists and idealists.

They called Jesus the Man of Sorrows. It’s not a sin to be sad. In fact, sadness can be a gift. Sometimes it’s too much, I get that. I’ve dealt with depression before. It sucks. But there’s a level of melancholy that we should embrace, not flee from. It has its advantages too. So next time you feel like the clouds are following your around, stop and thank God for allowing you to experience an important facet of what it means to exist, and go from there. You just might enjoy it. : )

bwk