This boy is crying because he thinks that something which does not exist has died.  How many of us suffer because we see something that does not exist but we do not realize it?  It’s easy for us to laugh and see the error in this boys thinking, but for him the pain is real.

Did  you see a crying boy and think how sad or did you notice the Memorial and start laughing?  We all react to what we see NOW based on what we’ve experienced THEN.Our beliefs about something are true for us and as such can cause us pain or joy.  As we’ve said many times the choice is always ours to make.

We think we don’t have enough money, our daughter is ill, our marriage is failing, our health is suffering, the legal issues will never go away, we can’t loose this weight or a family member will never ‘get it’.  If that is our belief then that is what will be true for us.

Someone else, with the same experiences, may think everything will work out, and we will learn to live our life with meaning, we will use our daughters death from cancer as a platform to bring awareness to childhood cancer and finding a cure, we will use our pain to help other parents who are suffering from a loss.  That becomes our legacy.

To judge someone for choosing what to believe is irrelevant, because it will not impact their life, nor will it uplift ours.  They will continue to stay stuck.   Our judgment of how they should be living their lives will get us stuck in a fearful state.

What is the alternative?  Does this mean we don’t cry, feel, suffer or feel loss?  Of course not, for after all we are human.  What it may mean, is when the crying stops and the pain subsides and the shock begins to fade; we have a choice.

How will we allow this experience to shape our lives?  Will we see it as a meaningless and pointless tragedy ?  If we see it that way, will it make us happy?  Maybe we don’t care if it makes us happy, maybe we believe we are just meant to suffer because this world has no meaning and everything is random and we just have to endure it.  And so it will be.

Some of us will choose to learn from each experience life has to offer no matter how painful.  We will choose to remember that we are here to create and this tragedy can help us serve others because through it we developed empathy.  It will help us bond deeply with another who shares our plight and give depth and richness to our lives.

Remember this.  When we meet someone who offers us compassion, a smile, a hug, a loving hand when we are suffering, support when tragedy has occurred, are we thankful?  Is it possible we are thankful for their willingness to choose love and to be willing to share that love with us? Is it possible we are thankful they made the choice of love?

When someone is rude, arrogant, egotistical or attacks us, do we become  angry, hurt or afraid?  Is it possible we are in fear because they chose fear?

Our logical mind can then say when others choose fear, we don’t like it.  So what does that say if we choose fear?