A hug, pat on the back, or encouraging words can make someone’s day!
Asking someone what is wrong when they are visibly upset or unhappy shows concern. Telling someone about your troubles, whether they ask or not, shows you need to unload a burden.
No one wants to be unhappy or miserable; being miserable and alone is pretty tough.
The old adage or proverb, misery loves company, is true.
Misery is a human condition that begs for companionship. Fellowship in shared circumstances and sufferings brings a type of comfort or solace.
A teenager grounded by their parents seeks empathy from peers who have experienced the same perceived overbearing parental discipline.
Employees denied promotions talk to coworkers who share similar managerial injustices.
We all want someone to listen to our troubles and problems, hoping to feel understood, comforted, and valued.
Misery is depressing.
Many unhappy and miserable people are wounded and bond best with those who are willing to apply salve to their or each other’s wounds.
Some people can be so depressed that others may find it difficult to be around them because they don’t want to become depressed.
The sympathizer may uplift the unhappy person or become infected with the emotional burden. Misery can beget more misery. Two miserable people with similar emotional dilemmas are like two peas in a pod.
The debate continues relative to the proverb’s origin and who coined it. Similar phrases have appeared in writings from centuries ago up to modern times.
Mephistophilis, a demon character in Christopher Marlowe’s play, The Tragical Life of Doctor Faustus, exhorted the proverb in Latin: “Solamen miseris socios habuisse doloris.” The translation is” It is a comfort to the unfortunate to have had companions in woe.”
The essence of the Latin and English words is: Misery loves company.
Many studies and historians suggest the proverb “misery loves company” dates back to Ancient Greece. Research shows a similar phrase appeared in the work of Sophocles, an ancient Greek playwright, around 408 BCE. The saying is often taken to mean that troubled or unhappy people find it easier to bear their distress when they share it with others going through similar experiences.
How do you deal with your unhappy moments?
It’s natural for people to seek comfort from friends and family about their feelings and disappointments. Some do so to validate not only that it’s OK to feel the way they do but also that it is reasonable for them to feel this way.
What’s wrong with saying I know how you feel; I have felt the same way?
I love Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
Who knows when any of us will fall into misery and need someone to lift us?
Yes, we must bear our burdens and overcome struggles, but we can also share them with others.
The Bible not only encourages us to share each other’s burdens, but in Romans 12:15, God’s Word says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Christians have faith that God will comfort them in times of distress, so that they can comfort others.
I hope that you are happy and well.