Sadness

   Sadness is the emotional relaxation or release that occurs when your expectations and wishes are not fulfilled. The tension of expectation and intention melt like snow in the sun. Sadness hurts because it implies letting go of something you are attached to (whether it is a goodnight kiss, a gold medal or a relationship) and a sense of loss that  you have to live with.

   We all know the outward signs of sadness: a dejected expression, a “long face”, a hunched back, slumped shoulders, arms hanging by the sides, feet dragging along the ground and poor diction. It is as if the person’s entire body is "fading".

   We obviously combat sadness with all our might because we want to be happy. And we conclude (all too rapidly!) that to be happy we have to avoid sadness. In fact, it is quite the opposite; it is only by accepting the inevitability of sadness that we can achieve true happiness. For sadness is the healthy way to react to the inevitable disappointments of life.

   Sadness therefore brings you into contact with the most vulnerable part of yourself; it is an energy of release, like a storm that breaks the tension and clears the air. It is a beneficial emotion which is essential to enable your BEING to remain fluid and able to respond to the changes that occur in life.

   It is important to understand that it is never desirable to repress your real wishes and aspirations simply to avoid the suffering that occurs if they are not fulfilled. By avoiding sadness, you only experience a superficial happiness and lead the kind of "mechanical" life that sometimes conceals a subjacent depression.

   As you know, children cry a lot. They doggedly persist in trying to acquire something they have been refused and begin to bawl as a sign of protest. Life continually disappoints them and they make no attempt to conceal their unhappiness. Once they have cried, it’s over and done with, leaving no trace of depression.