From a December 2021 New York Times column by David Brooks, "What Do You Say to the Sufferer?", thoughtful suggestions that might be summarized as:
- respect
- patience
- presence
Brooks describes how hard times can provide meaning – "... tenacity, courage, unselfishness and dignity ...". He shares "... cases where suffering didn't break people but broke them open – made them more caring toward and knowledgeable about the suffering of others ...". He tells of:
... a woman with a brain injury who would sometimes fall to the floor. People around her would rush to immediately get her back on her feet, before she was quite ready. She [said], "I think people rush to help me up because they are so uncomfortable with seeing an adult lying on the floor. But what I really need is for someone to get down on the ground with me."
... getting on the floor can be anxiety-producing and, when someone is in deep despair, even dangerous to the strongest caregiver. But sometimes you just get on the floor. ...
Brooks concludes:
| "We all need witnesses – to witness others, to be witnessed, to draw inspiration from each other." |
(cf [1] for free-gift link), and see also How Great Thou Art (2005-03-16), New Superpower (2018-10-27), Receiving (2019-12-22), Mr Rogers Asks (2019-11-18), ...) - ^z - 2021-12-17