Carry the Weight

There’s a story behind people. In some cases it’s dark. Most hide it well, some heal enough to live life, a few grow stronger, but others continue to suffer — until it consumes them in the end.

Fiction picks up this archetype. Batman grows out of a young boy who not only loses both his parents, but witnesses the violent act. He never heals.

Rahul Gandhi, the subject of much ridicule was once a young man who lost his father to a terrorist’s bomb. He was 21 years old. He’s still a man without a father.

Chester Bennington, lead vocalist of Linkin Park, was abused as a young boy. He grew up in a broken home and his childhood was littered with drug abuse, alcohol addiction and other destructive habits. He sang great songs, no one watching him perform would’ve realized the struggles he was living with — I’m not sure how many still do. He committed suicide at the age of 41.

I have colleagues who share stories of abuse, depression, suicidal tendencies. Some have lost one or both parents, some come from a broken or abusive home. Such people exist in our families too, those who have experienced personal suffering and are carrying deep sorrow or hurt inside them. Like Chester, maybe they’re so good at performing that we don’t realize the weight they carry everyday.

I do not ask anyone to excuse their destructive behaviour, only more understanding. Less pointing out and more holding tight. Less cynicism and more hope.

When Christ was carrying his cross, he stumbled and fell down in pain and exhaustion — Simon, an ordinary man from the crowd then carried it for him. Maybe we should also step away from the passive crowd and help carry the weight.