Everybody Hurts, Hold On You are NOT ALONE.

After a very Odd full Moon week, the air seems heavy, repressive and sullen.
My one joy was coming to ATS and pulling up the thread started by SMYLEEGRL, called:

THE WAITING GAME DO YOU FEEL IT?
(Thank you SMYLEEGRL!!!)

Everyone posted of a solidarity of knowing that had woven a thread through their lives. Something lurking in the Future, coming towards us, no real fear, but sadness could be heard in many posts, laced with a disappointment that the Waiting might continue after they are gone. Some felt Death had something to do with it, others that Life grabbed by the Ring in the Bull's nose was what was needed to fight off the feeling of waiting.

The thread touched many deeply I think because it connected us together and we seemed a bit less alone in our anticipation of a Big Event that would Change things for Humanity. It was a remarkable happening this soft flowing thread of ‘’hey, me too.’’ That touched many hearts and minds. Maybe the waiting is for Humanity to remember we are all connected. Maybe the Waiting is about Being United instead of Divided,, even if it is in our Pain.

A thing shared, like this song I wish to share, can connect, instead of divide. We see so little connection now a days, mostly we live divided. Divided by race, religion, income, background, the list never seems to end. The Connections, are rarely whispered, and I wonder why?




I remember coming to grips with family dynamics in my life and how once during a heated argument/pity fest I screamed out at my whole family that “ No Ones Pain is Greater than Another Here,, We all hurt equally, even if it doesn’t seem to be divided by fate that way. Everybody Hurts. In my head R.E.M. might have been playing,(this a different version), I know the feeling was in my heart, and I try to remember that when I argue or get into a difficult place with someone,,, knowing even if they can’t show it, EVERYBODY HURTS.

It makes one have a different perspective when you look at the snarky customer service given by someone, or the police officer who just gave you a ticket Or your friend, wife or husband, not to mention the children. And animals. I have a hard time thinking this especially when I see an abuser hurt a child or animal,, but the Abuser hurts too. We forget. And that connects us as humans, our pain, our hurts, our hearts broken and left in disarray by an uncaring world. You are not alone with that I promise. I heard a priest on the radio (NPR) today talking about his work with gangs, and how looking at the members, most have Mental Illness issues, but when in court that is not given much voice,, because he said,, then we would have to be compassionate and want to help heal them,, instead of throw them in Prison. Yes, those tough thugs and gang members hurt too.

With all the problems we face, we need to find the connections, no matter how painful they may be so that we can heal. Our Hunger, spiritually, emotionally and physically needs to bring us together, not take us away from each other, because we are NOT ALONE here, no matter what. Divided we are going to fall, so we must stop this urge to find all the differences and look for something that connects us together. Here in the US, this is most evident with our politics, so lets realize that UNITED WE STAND,, and Now it is so very important to look at how we can reconnect to the Dream that is America. It is Hard, I know, I struggle with this daily as I read the News, hear the stories of madness that pervades our country. Everybody is hurting, but HOLD ON. Something Wonderful can still Happen if we Reconnect and Unite ourselves and maybe ALL of Humanity will feel it.

Is is so hard to be compassionate? Have we as humans lost the ability to connect to each other outside of Twitter, Facebook and the Internet? The Anger you feel towards someone, is it worth the pain to yourself?
Everybody hurts, so is there really any need to add more pain?

www.azlyrics.com...

When your day is long and the night
The night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go
Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on

reply to post by EarthCitizen23


Edit: Sorry, it was REM.

Didn't REM write that song. Their ORIGINAL is much better.

I think you might find use of this word, OP. It is one of the most profound definitions I've ever learned about.

Sonder - the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own

reply to post by kyle43


I DO Like this word, and found The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows - SONDER when I googled it,, Thanks very much!


the complete definition they give is:

sonder n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


Yes, it was written by R.E.M. and I noted that in my OP. Thanks

Inner conviction tears us apart, knowing we wrong others or did something that may have not been right can tear us apart. Quit doing things you deep down think are wrong and things will fall in place. Masking it with a song is not a permanent solution. The song could steer our perception to a way that lessens our inner convictions though.

Look for forgiveness within yourself and remember that just because you forgive yourself you cannot keep doing what is wrong. Mother earth and all her living creatures deserve our respect. We need to survive with them, not cause their demise. We have to eat but we can respect the life that was given for us to survive and treat our food well while it lives, capturing it's seeds and planting them so they can survive with us. I am a weed, I respect all the weeds of the world, they are also living beings. Just because I like grass doesn't mean the grass is more important than the weeds. Man has given weeds an evil status yet without them we would not be here today. They are not weeds, they were food and medicine for our ancestors. Open your eyes to reality. Our sight has been steered from the truth.

Sorry for getting off topic, I often use examples. Society has created a Rat race yet do you ever see rats racing in nature?

reply to post by EarthCitizen23


Yeah sorry. I saw the video of a bastardised version of the song and didn't read the rest of your post. Do forgive me.

reply to post by rickymouse


I am right there with you about Mother Earth, and this is something I didn't touch on in the OP, but is part of the disconnect that I see with the world. We have divorced ourselves from our Foundation, which is Mother Earth and ALL her inhabitants and don't feel I am trying to Mask the feeling with a song, just using it as an 'emotional' prop of sorts.
I don't believe in Weeds Either, as my Grandmother, a root doctor, taught me the importance of the lowly 'weed' long ago, and I have never forgotten her lessons.

Yes, our sight has been steered away from what connects us, thus my post to iterate it,,
I don't feel you went off topic at all, thanks for your input.

reply to post by Wide-Eyes


It is ALL GOOD, no offense taken at all,, thanks for posting the original version.

Earthcitizen,

beautiful post, and you make an excellent point. Everyone hurts...

Propaganda works by devaluing the human individual. Grouping folks together, lumping them under one name.

Those jews. Those religious nuts. Those...those...those...

Its what lets us kill folks in the thousands, because we've divested them of their humanity. They're no longer people, but an enemy.

Your suggestion is the antidote that we all need. Remembering that everyone is human, everyone loves their family and friends, that everyone hurts.

We're all in this together. We should share each others pain, make that burden more bearable.

Thank you for reminding me of this. s&F

reply to post by smyleegrl


Smyleegrl, You are the One who reminded me,, for that I give you thanks, and CyberHugz from my heart.
I can be a grumpy old man sometimes, and last week I saw myself as one of those who lump people into groups,, all the while screaming how I am not prejudiced, bigoted etc, and I caught myself doing what I bitch and moan about to others. It was quiet the eye opening for me to see my own Shadow hidden where I had not looked.

I think the divisiveness has reached such epic proportions that if we don't ALL reel ourselves in very soon, we will all be killing our own mothers over such stupid little things.

I wrote this after hearing someone belittle someone who was hurting, because they could not empathize. My problem is that being Empathic can drain one completely. Many times I scream that I FEEL Way too much for a human to feel regarding the Pain of Humans, animals, plants and Our Planet itself. It makes one desire to be alone and to become a hermit, and I know this is a reaction to the empathy of pain.

I am glad you saw and liked this thread, as I feel it is an outgrowth of what you hit upon with your own thread.
The Connections are Never ending if we look, and it is one of the wonders of life to be able to know and see connections where others just see division.

Your awesome! Thanks again for unknowingly correcting my behavior and thought patterns.

I wrote this after hearing someone belittle someone who was hurting, because they could not empathize. My problem is that being Empathic can drain one completely. Many times I scream that I FEEL Way too much for a human to feel regarding the Pain of Humans, animals, plants and Our Planet itself. It makes one desire to be alone and to become a hermit, and I know this is a reaction to the empathy of pain.

reply to post by EarthCitizen23


Have you ever heard of "compassion fatigue?" Basically, it's when you've cared so deeply, for so long, that you become numb.

I understand the problem of being empathic, I've been there many times. And I've become numb, which is not a good thing. For me, spending time in contemplative solitude helps. I'm lucky enough to have a family who understands this about me, and lets me be me.

Your words are humbling, my friend.

reply to post by smyleegrl


I have heard (and lived!) the term Compassion Fatigue, which if I am not mistaken, Read a book by the same name years ago. The sad thing is that Ordinary Joe's and Jill's are not given Sabbatical time from work, which I think we Need. Spiritual Retreat time,, not vacation, but Inner Work time to deal with such things.

I garden to get myself 'Back', and get out in the Natural world as much as possible with our society.

But sometimes,, it is too little to cope with the tsunami of Life,,, and I dream of my 'future'' life as a Hermit, in contemplation, solitude immersed in Nature instead of the Artificial world we swim in daily.

Once I met Terrence McKenna (had him autograph my copy of Archaic Revival) and think his words fit well with what you wrote on the WAITING Thread, and what I am trying to get across here. Take a look if you have the time at this piece of his on The Importance of Human Beings", it is one of my favorites of his lectures.

Hope your weekend is Bright and filled with the Wonder of Life!

Namaste, my friend

I always hurt............ no sympathy wanted just a statement of fact.
I have built a prison in my own mind, one that I can't escape from.

Originally posted by rigel4
I always hurt............ no sympathy wanted just a statement of fact.
I have built a prison in my own mind, one that I can't escape from.

What do you relate the hurt to Rigel4? Is it because you are empathetic? Or a Life Sucks, kinda hurt? Or is it because of an Understanding of the World that your perception believes is relentless and unending? Or something else.

When I found out in childhood, that the world was not as it is portrayed by Religions, our parents, friends and others, it was a blow because I have one of those minds that has to figure it out. Intelligent persons seem to get more depressed and have emotional/spiritual pain it seems because we ASK so many questions of ourselves.

The Prison you have placed yourself, is NOT Escape proof, and I am sure you know that you hold the key to your own deliverance. If you have painted yourself into a philosophical / spiritual / mental corner,,, there are people who would willingly give you a hand to try and help you extract yourself from said prison. Don't go this alone if you are dancing on the edge of the Abyss. I know, I have danced the dance. Not many can get out of the Abyss and Dark Night of the Soul alone.
I also know that some things can only be done Alone, but others require anothers hand to help find the staircase OUT. I am a Breaking Out of the MindBoxes I find myself in, kind of guy, so empathize completely and with hope that you are handling it as well as possible. If not seek assistance, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Just talking about it sometimes brings a light to the situation.

In many ways I have found that the GREAT MYSTERY is just that,, A mystery we might not get to know the full details, so it leaves an empty feeling where Gnosis should reside.

Many people ask me since I can sound like the Nihilist,, What is the Meaning to it ALL?

I have concluded that the Meaning if there is ANY, is WHAT I MAKE IT TO BE.

Our Lives Lived Give the Meaning to Life, short and simple, we (if we are falling into nihilism, )
must MAKE THE MEANING.

I made this thread for people like myself and YOU RIGEL4, because You Are NOT ALONE in the Pain.

If it helps, talk about it, and tell more. I am interested in your input and views.

May you feel Less Pain NOW in this Moment is my desire for you.

Namaste and BE WHOLE and WELL.

reply to post by EarthCitizen23


Thank you for your post EarthCitizen23, Give me some time to try and
formulate my thoughts and I will post again. I am only at the point of realising, no admitting
that I have a problem. So much to think about..

reply to post by rigel4


Take your time, and know you only have to voice what you want at the moment. Healing in all forms is a process, and a journey itself, no matter what ails one. When you are ready then speak, I am sure that you will give voice to many who themselves feel similar if not the same as yourself.

In my 'world' we would say that I am Holding Center for you in a sacred space of Gnosis.
Earlier I think I said, "Be Whole" when in reality it is just Remembering we are Whole and Good as we ARE NOW. Again the process is many times an INNER process that we must tread seemingly Alone. I believe our Oversoul or Higher Self is always there present with us, as is the Divine that is ALL.

If you have not read it yet, read my signature at the bottom of this post, it does me wonders each day to remember it.

Namaste my Friend

reply to post by EarthCitizen23


This thread reminds me of the joke Fellow says he's going to the sun by rocket ship how is he going to prevent from being burned up by the sun his answer I'm going at night

When I turn on a light in a room all of a sudden the darkness is gone.
So when I go thru the deepest darkest parts of Detroit nobody everbothers me on my way to work
Because I have the intent of infinite love, if your intent is infinite love it comes down to like attracts like I find in my journey that darkness can't exsist when there is that much love around.

reply to post by raypsi13


Keep That Light Bright and Shine! I concur with the mentality completely. I have done the same walking right through the areas of blight, poverty and crime with my LIGHT as the only protection and never once had a problem.

Imagine the whole world shining bright like you !! I would like it.

Excellent thread brother.

I liken the process to working dough. This world presses down on us, we take a mental break, then bounce back a little higher each time.

We just 'knead' to remember to give ourselves and others the time we/they require to bounce back, at the very 'yeast'.