We watched Sleepless in Seattle last night for the umpteenth time. I know what happens. There are no surprises. But I still gasped out loud at the end when they come out of the lift and I then proceeded to blub for a good five minutes afterwards.
These are fictional characters for goodness sake. I knew what the ending was going to be. But I still got hooked. The story still tugged at my heart strings. Literally. You can see where that phrase came from. The feeling is as much physical as mental. Emotions are. They are physical reactions that we are not in control of and aren’t driven by conscious thought.
There is something about seeing other people in emotional situations that, for me at least, is frequently more powerful than my own emotions. When my Mum was dying recently for instance I was more triggered by seeing other people upset than I was by my own situation.
I guess this is down to what they call the empathy gene, something in us that feels compassion for others around us. It is a powerful force and one to be celebrated and encouraged rather than hidden in embarrassment.
The Obvious? 
Same here. Never take me to a sad film or a funeral (even if I don’t know the person) my meltdown is immediate and impressive…to the point that people think I am a secret lover or close but unknown friend
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll try to remember! 😉
LikeLike
Whereas I can often remain stoic at the funeral of even a close friend or family member, but watching ‘Shakespeare in Love’ – well, that’s a whole different thing…
LikeLike
Yep. What are we like!
LikeLike
I think A good cry washes our soul – we should do it often and freely ! X
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same here. Thank you for sharing it. It is not that common to see a man celebrating his ability to cry. It is also reassuring in a sense – there is a man-to-be growing here in the house who is gifted with this sensitivity more than his sisters.
LikeLike
It’s interesting how much we still assume such things are gender specific. I suspect it is much less the case, if at all, than we assume.
LikeLike
I wish that our kids would grow into a world where the perception of those things does not depend on one’s gender. But I am not sure we are there yet.
LikeLike
There has been so much progress but it does sometimes feel as if we are going backwards. I always think every time that I see overtly macho blokes that there is a softy inside desperately wanting to get out.
LikeLiked by 1 person