The pain that is not theirs...

I wonder if people genuinely feel the pain when they utter, "I know exactly how you feel."

I wonder if they, too, clench their stomachs in an attempt to ease the suffering that accompanies an overdose. I wonder if they've witnessed a loved one drenched in blood or experienced the heart-wrenching loss of a child still in the womb. I also wonder if they've ever felt the harsh scrutiny of their truest intentions. My wonderings persist.

Taking in the last few sunsets of fall - Napanee, ON

Because when someone claims, "I know exactly how you feel," it often lacks authenticity. I appreciate the empathy and concern, but the reality is that no one can fully understand the excruciating pain that accompanies the experiences of death and loss anyone faces.

That pain is a deeply personal burden, unique to each of us.

However, there are still compassionate souls willing to hold your hand through the trials you endure. Yet, there's no one capable of genuinely ending that pain for you or taking it upon themselves.

So, it makes me wonder if those who profess to feel the same pain as others are merely pretending or riding a wave of collective emotions driven by a fear of being labelled as "others."

It's alarming how easily we can harm one another, whether through our words, actions, or even more lethal means. It's as if anything we carry in our backpacks can be turned into a weapon.

But these backpacks also contain books, vessels of knowledge that can unveil what is true and guide us toward truth.

Reading is a fundamental skill, yet there's little active encouragement for thoughtful, critical reading. One can read a textbook, but do they question why, how, and when the author wrote those words? What is the backdrop against which we consume information? Is it sober truth or a skillful portrayal of the truth? If it's the latter, everything we perceive with our eyes becomes questionable.

Context, as much as it serves a valuable purpose, can also be a dangerous weapon. It can legitimize pain as a consequence of someone's actions, leading us to accept that "it is what it is." Contrastingly, context can also reveal why "they" want us to embrace certain beliefs.

Whether money, power, land, or authority, none of these pursuits come with a redemption of souls once they've been traded.

Yet, the pain isn't something they can truly grasp or feel. It remains uniquely ours.

However, one thing they can and should do is open their eyes, see the world for what it is, read, and read more. Because truth, as unyielding as it is, merely seeks refuge in the obscure corners of our ignorance, waiting for us to reclaim it again.