“Things like "Everything happens for a reason" and "You'll become a stronger/kinder/more compassionate person because of this" brings out rage in grieving people. Nothing makes a person angrier than when they know they're being insulted but can't figure out how. It's not just erasing your current pain that makes words of comfort land so badly. There's a hidden subtext in those statements about becoming a better, kinder, and more compassionate because of your loss, that often-used phrase about knowing what's "truly important in life" now that you've learned how quickly life can change. The unspoken second half of the sentence in this case says you needed this somehow. It says that you weren't aware of what was important in life before this happened. It says that you weren't kind, compassionate, or aware enough in your life before this happened. That you needed this experience in order to develop or grow, that you needed this lesson in order to step into your "true path" in life. As though loss and hardship were the only ways to grow as a human being. As though pain were the only doorway to a better, deeper life, the only way to be truly compassionate and kind.”
Quote by Megan Devine
Work
It's OK That You're Not OK
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: The Idiot
“You remind me of dusk, so beautiful yet so sad.”
Source: Who are you stranger?
Source: It's OK That You're Not OK
“Crediting someone for your unhappiness is about not taking responsibility yourself.”
“Wisdom taught me to let go; discipline taught me to walk away.”
“Sometimes you feel that you are crying but tears won't come out of your eyes.”
Source: It's OK That You're Not OK
Source: Please Don't Go Before I Get Better
“Sadness taught me to let someone hurt me and yet still talk beautifully about them.”