Tears

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/i-cry-therefore-i-am.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/31/science/biological-role-of-emotional-tears-emerges-through-recent-studies.html

20 years ago, at the age of 6 or 7, I wrote a short article that was chosen to be published in the papers. The article was titled "Tears"  but I'm quite sure the clip of the paper can no longer be found after we moved out of the condo in which I grew up. Therefore I want to write again about tears.

Over the past 20 years I have been taught not to cry. As an infant and child I was known to cry much more easily and frequently than any others that my parents, relatives and teachers were very impatient with my tears. I remember being threatened by my father to be thrown out of the window if I didn't stop crying when I was 3 and being yelled at by my mother for crying for days for a dying dog we had for merely a month when I was 11. Ironically, that short article on tears published 20 years ago was in fact my mom's work; she was the narrator behind my pen for pretty much the whole article.

Some people believe tears are a precious thing; I believe there are plenty of people in the world unable to cry either because they have become jaded or because they are born less sensitive. That means I am a wealthy person as I possess plenty of these precious tears. Thanks to tears I have endured much more difficulties than the ordinary and stood up over and over again from heart-breaking defeats. My tears are my strength with a vulnerable disguise. People hate to see me cry because they are afraid of their own tears, not mine. However, whoever can cherish my tears as I do will be an extraordinary, courageous person capable of accomplishing something big in their life.

Tears are not a sign of weakness; on the contrary they are the path to being stronger. They distinguish human beings from other animals and they are the natural cure for depression and insomnia. Tears serve our evolutionary purpose perfectly--fluoxetine and estazolam are auxiliary--assuming their side effects are non-existent--to those who are too weak to face their own tears.

Tears of joy are even more interesting. I cry a lot for positive things too, such as a happy ending to a romantic movie, a sappy love song, accomplishing something important, my cousin's wedding day, and so on. It seems like tears are the ultimate representation of joy surpassing laughter; in other words, when joy has exceeded a certain level, laughter cannot sufficiently express our emotions at that level and only tears can do the job. This makes tears the most powerful emotional expression of all.

Now it all makes sense why the first thing we do upon birth is cry and when we die, we die with tears of our own and of others.