Mar 16 2013: I have had similar reactions to the passing of friends - silent, lack of emotion. For me, however, the tears didn't seem to come until later at some random moment of reflection.
Mar 16 2013: From my perspective, you're talking about mental models, but not necessarily human nature. I think the error in this logic is that you mention historically grand-scale bullying, but neglect the progress we've made from there. The assumption must be that this is the end of the line, and we cannot progress further?
It doesn't have to be a gushy story about how everyone loves each other. It has to be about having the bare minimum respect for individuals that keeps people from going out of their way to torment others. If people don't like someone for whatever reason, leave them alone.
Mar 16 2013: Emotions can stir up a lot of energy in us. Crying is a harmless release of this built up emotional energy; a negative example would be destructive anger (ever punched a wall?). Some people have been taught crying is bad - this may lead to less productive releases of emotional energy - drinking and/or substance abuse ("it's ok to cry if you're drunk"), violence, or emotional detachment. In short, I'd say crying is a healthy release, and yes - allows us to deal with complex emotions.
It's not all sadness and pain, sometimes it's just a release of overwhelming emotional responses to things such as joyous occasions, powerful music, inspiring speeches etc.. There's all kinds of things that make us well up, including exhibitions of extreme kindness and compassion by other beings.
Mar 16 2013: I think it's worth clarifying here that there is a difference between bawling like a baby because you stubbed your toe, and crying because something devastatingly sad happened.
I also don't think it is a means of getting artificial pity, though some people may use it as manipulation for various reasons. If this were the case, why then would people choke back their tears? Why would they cry by themselves? Why would they be scared of being seen crying?
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A reply on Conversation: What is the advantage of evolving the ability to cry?
A reply on Conversation: How can we help to prevent bullying?
It doesn't have to be a gushy story about how everyone loves each other. It has to be about having the bare minimum respect for individuals that keeps people from going out of their way to torment others. If people don't like someone for whatever reason, leave them alone.
A reply on Conversation: What is the advantage of evolving the ability to cry?
A comment on Conversation: What is the advantage of evolving the ability to cry?
It's not all sadness and pain, sometimes it's just a release of overwhelming emotional responses to things such as joyous occasions, powerful music, inspiring speeches etc.. There's all kinds of things that make us well up, including exhibitions of extreme kindness and compassion by other beings.
A reply on Conversation: What is the advantage of evolving the ability to cry?
I also don't think it is a means of getting artificial pity, though some people may use it as manipulation for various reasons. If this were the case, why then would people choke back their tears? Why would they cry by themselves? Why would they be scared of being seen crying?
A comment on Conversation: What is the most important thing you've learned on your own?