Crying proves to be helpful habit

Connor de Bruler
Opinion editor 

Courtney Niskala • niskalac@thejohnsonian.com

I haven’t cried in a while.

I typically don’t cry very much. Apparently, I cried for the first six months of my life, and after that I suppose I purged a good amount of salt from my system. I once went four years without crying. However, emoting in such an overt and involuntary manner can be extremely therapeutic for many people, and I often wonder just how important it is for human beings to cry.  

I was never able to make myself cry at will. I tend to venerate theater majors who have this ability.

As a child, I remember my mom crying all too often. I quickly equated crying to very negative memories. My dad, on the other hand, never cried. He was an emotional enigma. I could only detect anger and joy.

Anything in between was too subtle.

I grew up with the assumption that crying was a feeble attempt to illicit sympathy from others, so I cried alone. Only recently have I begun to accept tears as a natural and necessary component to coping with the inherent suffering of human existence.

Three kinds of tears exist. Basal tears are the continuous lubricant for our eyes. Our bodies shed reflex tears as a reaction to potentially dangerous stimuli, such as noxious fumes or fist fights. And finally, there are emotional tears, which are caused by psychological stimuli.

Scientists have different theories about crying, but it is generally accepted that crying is the body’s way of discharging trauma. Essentially, the body is calming itself down after going into survival mode, according to emotionalprocessing.com. Some researchers claim emotional tears have 24 percent more protein, and the nervous system actually rids itself of toxic chemicals during crying spells, thus making it as physically healthy as it is emotionally healthy, according to the website.

I can always empathize, but I still don’t like to be around people when they cry. It makes me uncomfortable.

My roommate is moving to Colorado next semester. He expressed fear about the transition, saying he had never been on his own before. He said he might cry the first night he is there. I was not very helpful with my advice. I can be exceptionally insensitive sometimes and I’m not sure why. Deep down, I know better.

I cried when I read the last three pages of John O’Brien’s rather disturbing novel “Leaving Las Vegas.” I burst into tears after listening to the song “Unknown Awareness” by Kylesa. I cried after my last breakup. And I’ll admit to weeping when new evidence of Bigfoot or the moth man surfaces.

There’s nothing wrong with crying, just don’t do around me, please.