The Bitter Truth

Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the overwrought heart and bids it breaks

 William Shakespeare, Macbeth.
Image Source: Shutterstock

When confronted with the loss of a loved one, we prefer the bitter truth to a life of not knowing why they disappeared from our life. Understanding why presumes closure and closure can take its own sweet time, coloring our world in unobtainable vignettes of the past and moments of profound sorrow.  We search ourselves for answers, and with none available, we make up an answer that allows us to move a step further away from the searing flame of grief.

What is grief? How is it possible that it follows us for years when our joy ends after the trembling breath, the laughter fades, and the smile relaxes away? Research has shown us the reality of generational trauma. Year after year, the affected population suffers even though they weren’t born during the time of the great horror and have no grave to lay the wreath of their inherited memories. The research believes significant trauma can last up to eight generations before fading away in the next 10. One can see how a population grows exponentially with each generation until 40,000 descendants of one couple are affected. In time, millions carry the grief of some innate horror in their DNA passed to them from their ancestors.

One does not inherit joy, happiness, contentment, or love. These things are fleeting and require great care to preserve. One mistake and you have damaged the other person’s previous admiration. Failure to live up to another’s private expectations and you wake up alone with your memories, grief, and endless questions; why. We seek pleasures and avoid grief and sorrow where the end justifies the means. Suffering is unavoidable, while happiness can often be substituted in countless ways. Again, why?

Could it be that we have lost the intrinsic wisdom of the past? Has pleasure in material pursuits, social media likes, physical appearance, and endless sex practiced in ways according to one’s desires for Tik Tok adventures clouded our internal consciousness of self? Probably not. These things are just wrappers for our current human nature. The ancients knew human nature, the earth, and the cosmos were connected and sought ways to confirm it, leading to our nature’s many esoteric and artistic expressions. It is our true nature we have forgotten, yet it rules every moment of our lives.

No one but the darkest soul escapes grief. This emotional state is one of humanity’s greatest virtues. We do not mourn something we have no love for or attachment. We want the bitter truth because we want to place ourselves spiritually next to our loved ones at the moment of their departure. We want to share with them their last moment and offer our love and support. Our love cannot end even when we know the truth. It goes on through the stages of grief in its own time on its schedule and what we do is endure. There is a beautiful way with the knowledge that we loved so much, to lose the object of our love is unbearable.

What was your loss you remember most?

34 responses to “The Bitter Truth”

  1. Hyperion Avatar
    Hyperion

    Reblogged this on Apple Rae and commented:
    For everyone who grieves. Know that it is centered on love and that is our greatest human virtue.

    Like

  2. I grieve for all mankind and ’tis a terrible burden. What helps? After aging takes away the pleasure of drugs, alcohol and the exhilaration of sex, staring into the Void and realizing there is no “there, there” has been my ultimate answer. I stared long enough to hear the Void whisper back to me that “the Universe is eternal, and any duration, however long, registers as infinitesimal.” So my own insignificance tells me there is no time for grief, only joy…which gives one reason to live…so move along, little doggy, the Void has said, go enjoy life and do not dwell a past that only causes pain.
    And yes, I may address this whispering void in an upcoming post. Tag, I’m it.
    Well written and very poignant Hype. Glad you found the energy to put it out there.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      A view of life after my own. There is much to be admired in the void. In the finite infinitesimal there is the one answer that applies to all questions. When we do as you do, we can be our own joy and share it if we like. More to come as the angry blue planet spirals in sacred geometrically predetermined flight across the void. And to grieve for all humanity is apt these days. We are all in a heap o trouble.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The void can teach us so much…the most brilliant physicists agree we may not be here at all…perhaps we are a simulation…a dream with a dream…so why worry? Atoms are 99.99% empty space. energy IS matter…and that makes us a conscious energy field. Which is, perhaps, remarkable in itself.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hyperion Avatar
          Hyperion

          We could have some very interesting conversations. I am reading Homo Deus and enjoying the insights the author provides. Thank you again for the recommendation.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Speaking of grief, the older one becomes, it takes concerted efforted not to look back and cause your own grief by thinking…”Ok, here is where I shoulda zigged when I zagged…I shoulda hooked up with her instead of her…I shoulda stayed at this gig one year longer…ad nauseum…that’s what old men do and I refuse to fall into that easy trap. Life is full of shoulda, woulda’, coulda’s…move forward into the inevitable transhumanism I always say. Embrace what’s coming…

            Liked by 2 people

            1. Hyperion Avatar
              Hyperion

              This is very true. I don’t want to regret my life. I wanted it to be full of holy crap! I really did that. So far that is exactly what has transpired. I admit to having far more memories than plans for the future and I do grieve the losses. I have lost so many dear people in my life that I understand it, know the process, and honor their memory as I wander steadfast into the next day. It’s okay to hurt, if we understand why we hurt, it stops hurting and we can pick up and carry on. Anyway, that’s how I do it and it works for me. Others may have different results. One thing is certain. No one is immune and I don’t think we should be.

              Liked by 1 person

  3. An excellent essay on grief, Daniel.

    I love the quote from MacBeth.

    And I love your line, “No one but the darkest soul escapes grief”.

    Very true.

    It was my father’s death that I remember the most.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you Chris. I know from our many exchanges in comments that your love and respect for your father will never fade. Your dad was truly a remarkable man. The last words I heard from my father was how much he loved and respected his father. I think my grandfather’s early departure from this earth left my father feeling lost and he missed him greatly up to his last day.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Grief is a very long process, and, sometimes, when we thought we are done grieving, we’re, hit by, that wave of loss, wave of, strong sorrows again, and, we, melt down, but it is, all a part of, this, slow and hard process of us, healing our selves up, little by little, each, and, every day.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you taurusingemini. Your elegant comment speaks to the truth of this human experience.

      Like

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you my friend. I am honored that you shared my expression on grief.

      Like

  5. This is such a deep and moving subject Dan. Thank you for such a beautiful approach and for opening it for discussion. I am very grateful for all the wonderful responses. Grief is part of the human condition that we will all eventually face. . The loss of our loved one triggers both grief and the realization that we face separation and the realization that our world will not be the same, There is the knowledge that our assumptive world is over. In time we adapt to a new existence but the world we had is forever changed. Eventually, we adapt to a new existence and build on that, but that sense of loss never leaves us. I experienced grief early in life when my mother died when I was eight years old, a wholly transformative event, a never-ending absence. I love George’s philosophy, life goes on and we must be present. You’ve written such a compelling theory Dan, thank you so much. 🌹

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you Rene for sharing your wisdom on the subject of grief. You give us the right words to frame this human experience. Your personal experience has led you to a profound understanding of how loss shapes our lives. We can choose to adopt our grief as a lifestyle or strive to forgive, accept, and renew our life with meaning and purpose shaped by the wisdom gained from this ageless experience of love and loss. But first, we must attend to healing and that is never a quick and easy process.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you for sharing the word my friend. I believe the world and its people are in need of healing from the widespread grief rising up from all sectors of the globe.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. The states of grief are many and tend to return after we feel we are past anger, denial, and have reached acceptance, There will always be the memories, perhaps an occasion, a song or place that makes us sad. There’s no time limit for grief but I think the intensity lessens with time.
        🕊🤗

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hyperion Avatar
          Hyperion

          That has been my experience, my dear friend.

          Liked by 1 person

  6. I don’t think I can pinpoint one particular grief. There are so many different kinds. There were losses of loved ones, but they were in their due time which cuts down on the specific “why’s?” leaving only the general “why?” existence is so sad. Then there are the sudden gut punches when realization strikes that the best times are behind and will never come back. Grief at watching people deteriorate or waste their life. Grief even over happy memories. Grief of missed opportunities. Grief of mistakes. Grief of wrongs done to other people. It’s endless.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you Hetty. I like how you expanded on the theme of grief to encompass how this emotion is so prevalent in our lives yet has endless sources that affect us in the grief experience and processing. That really makes sense in that life experiences are not linear or limited.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Well said.
    Which most? Sadly all of them. I am no stranger to death. As many. One remembers them all.
    Thank you for your words and thoughts.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you for commenting. May you feel comfort in the remembrance of those who have sailed on.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Thank you. Some are harder than others, as I am sure you know. Time is the only ultimate healer…
        Take care.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hyperion Avatar
          Hyperion

          Thank you my friend. It is true. It took half my life, but I learned to be patient, to honor my feelings, and allow time to work in my favor.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Very wise. 👍🏻

            Liked by 2 people

  8. I love this post, Daniel. It’s so eloquently describes love and grief. I didn’t realize that we can carry trauma for generations but it makes sense. The past effects us, shapes us but the present can heal us too in time. Your post is comforting and makes me think of my mom who passed away in 2020 right after the pandemic shut down. I associate that time with her still. She died of cancer not covid but the two horrors are nearly inseparable in my mind. Thank you for this beautiful post.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hyperion Avatar
      Hyperion

      Thank you for this beautiful comment Judy. I feel that ache of loss with you Judy. My mother died when I was around 28 years old. I have missed her since. Humanity is specially engineered to suffer because of our empathy and conscious awareness of love and loss. We are singularly the only species that seeks the saving grace of God. The lion lives to live while we love to live with peace, harmony, love and contentment in a world where sorrow is our most prevalent emotional state. But, it doesn’t have to be this way except to teach us the true value of our suffering and the strong desire to overcome it.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You’re very welcome, Daniel 💖. I’m sorry you lost your mom at such a young age. It’s a long time to mourn her but she survives through your memory of her. Humans are such interesting creatures, full of goodness and evil too but I think hopefully we learn from our mistakes and we receive the blessing of God’s grace in our lives.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hyperion Avatar
          Hyperion

          Perfectly said. My mother remains a personal inspiration to me everyday. She was a good person to everyone and a loving mother. She was no pushover and we knew who the boss was, but she was full of love and showed it everyday.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Wonderful to be inspired by her 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Hyperion Avatar
              Hyperion

              Mom’s are the best. 💖

              Liked by 1 person

              1. They’re our first friends :).

                Liked by 1 person

                1. Hyperion Avatar
                  Hyperion

                  That is a quotable quote, Judy. Our moms were our first friend.

                  Like

Leave a reply to House of Heart Cancel reply