Collective grief

"Funerals, in fact, are one of the most powerful examples of collective pain. They feature in a surprising finding from my [Brené Brown] research on trust. When I asked participants to identify three to five specific behaviors that their friends, family, and colleagues do that raise their level of trust with them, funerals always emerged in the top three responses. Funerals matter. Showing up to them matters. And funerals matter not just to the people grieving, but to everyone who is there. The collective pain (and sometimes joy) we experience when gathering in any way to celebrate the end of a life is perhaps one of the most powerful experiences of inextricable connection. Death, loss, and grief are the great equalizers."  -- from Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown, pp. 132 - 133

I said good-bye to a good friend today. It hurt.