when a kid starts to cry, it is common to see parents try to put a stop to it by shouting back STOP CRYING! STOP IT!
In an environment where we grew , crying is seen as a weakness. If you shed a tear, you will be mocked, or threathened (which have a 50/50 outcome of the cry to stop.) The case is worst if you're a boy.
take an example of the boy, that for years he perfected the art of holding tears until one day he is numb in the inside. you can insult him, get into fight with him, mock him , he will not shed a single tear. not even during funerals. the trigger to make him cry seems to be disabled. and that is my friend.. the definition of being manly. right?
years later as an adult, he wonders why was he unable to cry when praying. when bombs dropped at civilian. seeing refugees. he feels nothing. although he wanted to feel sad for them but truthfully there's nothing inside of his chest. he may use the sad emoticon but you know, all his feeling are stripped down to just an emoticon. and to add i think the biggest lie is 'lol'. one your biggest expression (to laugh) had been stripped down to just these 3letters.
a sufi shaykh once said if you don't cry when you pray, that is a symptom of a dead heart. and prayers suppose to give you life. to make you feel alive again. but then again now it is stripped down to just rituals. standing sitting and prostrating . much attention given to where should the hand or the feet be but never the heart.
so brothers and sisters, if you are like me, we have a big quest in looking for that 'enable' button. that allows us to cry again. cry for anything. make your heart alive again. so that you can show compassion, love. if you have a boy. let him cry. it is okay to cry. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the most influential man in the world did cry. a lot. Imam Ali (as) , his beard soaked with tears when praying yet he is one of the most feared person in arabia during his time. cry so that your heart is alive.
another sufi shaykh once asked, what is the opposite of life? the students answered 'death' . the shaykh said no.. life has no opposite. the opposite of death is being born. you maybe alive but inside you dont have 'life.'
