I know I've even been guilty of saying this to my husband when he gets so sick. I remind him that his sickness will go away, it's not deadly, etc. I try to remind him that there are people in the world dealing with much worse. I even tell it to myself when I start feeling sorry for myself. I try to remember that there are people in the world dealing with much worse.
In the end, though, we're all selfish and self-centered. It's natural. Some more so than others, but we all have that tendency. When we go through hard times, we tell ourselves that no one understand us or no one else has had to deal with what I'm going through. We believe our situation is more terrible than someone else's situation because their situation is happening to them, but my situation is happening to me.
So, that brings me to this quote. I loved this quote because it reminded me that yes, there are people out there who might be dealing with worse things than me. In the end, though, that doesn't change the fact that I may be going through a hard time. It doesn't make my hard time any easier. If you're not going though the difficult situation, but you're dealing with someone who is, it doesn't change the fact that they're going through a hard time just because other people have it worse.
When people are going through hard times, they want to be shown love. They want to know that people care. They don't want to be made to feel like what they're going through isn't that big of a deal.
On the other hand, maybe you're that person dealing with one of those "worse situations" people refer to. Maybe you have bitter feelings towards people dealing with things you consider "not so bad." You hate to hear them complain because you would rather be in their situation than your own. I know this is natural and I have felt this way. However, I think it's important to remember going through a difficult time is difficult no matter where it falls on the scale from bad to worse.
Basically what I'm trying to say is let's stop comparing how bad our situations are to someone else's. Let's accept the fact that bad is bad, and let's show some sympathy. For me, this is easier to do out loud than in my heart. Even if you pretend to sympathize with someone, you can be dealing with ugly thoughts. I know I need to work on my attitude in this matter.
How do you sympathize with people who are going through a hard time? What have been some ways people have helped you through hard times? Do you like being reminded that there are people dealing with something worse? Have you ever been guilty of thinking someone else's situation wasn't as bad as yours? I'd love to know your thoughts on this quote!
2 comments:
I love this. While perspective is a great thing, it's very dismissive of someone's feelings to compare their situation to someone else's (arguably) worse situation.
This is a great point. Bad is bad, not matter how much. It reminds me of my "friends" when they would tell me how they can't use their credit card. Although, I was broke I realized that have no idea what's its like and that helped. I was able to see their point of view.
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