In Broutille, a children’s story written by Anne Herbauts, a Belgian writer, appears a boy who is saddened by his cat’s disappearance. He leaves for a journey to share his feelings with someone, but no one empathized with him. A cowboy who’s lost his horse and belongings, a crow whose nose and foot got injured, a man whose hometown got flooded . . . Everyone only talks about their losses and sorrow. No one regards the boy’s sadness as something big. The boy keeps walking and reaches the Arctic where he feels like his body and heart might freeze. Then one dog that happens to pass by him shows interest in him, and the boy says to the dog,
“I’m so sad because my cat that I love so much has disappeared. But I can’t talk about it because there are so many other things that are sadder than this in the world.”
“Maybe. But still, tell me about your cat.”
Then the boy is finally able to get it off his chest.
We sometimes regard other people’s worries as something trivial or judge them rashly, comparing their situations with ours. Only the one who has that worry knows its weight, and it can’t be compared with other people’s. The only thing that we can do is to acknowledge their feelings, give them ear, and show empathy.