he other night I felt overcome by s

he other night I felt overcome by sadness as I reflected upon all the suffering of this world.

In many ways, I have a perfect life. Nevertheless, a part of me will always be sad as long as there is suffering in this world.

Life is bittersweet. And that’s OK with me. Happiness without sadness would not be complete…as long as suffering persists.

I sat with the feelings of sadness, gazing at the dark night sky. I didn’t try to push them away. Quite the contrary, I felt empowered by them.

Usually, we want to move away from sadness as quickly as possible.

We’re encouraged to divert ourselves from the emotion by engaging in physical activity, imagining pleasant and relaxing experiences, or looking for humor in a situation that makes us sad. Some people, who are naturally empathetic, have decided to protect themselves from sadness and other untoward emotions by not watching the news. I can understand why. There’s even a danger of becoming hardened and developing “compassion fatigue” in the face of overwhelming tragedy like the recent disasters in Japan.

But I say, let your heart be broken into a million pieces. You will be all the better for it. Here’s why.