Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

RECOGNIZING our ADDICTION to SADNESS
While crying is one clear indicator of feeling sad, and while “feeling down” is yet
another, there are many far more subtle ways that sadness steadily & silently dismantles
our sense of calm and contentment. And we cannot hope to cleanse our lives of this
melancholy – and thereby return to a life of true Joy – unless we first have the courage to
identify where such sadness has taken hold. To engage this important first step, consider
the following questions:
*Do you believe that it honors the dead to mourn their passing?
*Do you think that grieving a loss is a healthy thing to do?
*Do you see no third alternative to either expressing your sadness or “holding it in”?
*Do you enjoy watching war movies or reading war stories?
*Do you enjoy watching TV-dramas or seeing dramatic movies?
*Do you use the words “terrible”, “awful”, “horrible” or “bad”?
*Do you use the phrases “what a shame” or “what a pity” or “that’s too bad”?
*Do you enjoy “dark humor”?
*Are you dissatisfied with the direction your life has taken?
*Off the top of your head, can you list the three saddest moments of your life?
*Do you cry more than once a month?
*Do you withdraw from others (by either not going out in public, or by hiding behind
alcohol when you do go out)?
*Do you regularly read the daily news or watch the nightly news?
*Do you ever feel tired “for no reason”?
*Do you have difficulty making decisions?
*Do you wish you were happier?
*Do you read “self-help books”?
*Do you go to church to be comforted?
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