Q. Why do we have to experience loss? I hate feeling sad!

A. If I knew the answer to that question I’d be omniscient! We live in an imperfect world where loss occurs. Loss can involve much more than death; it can relate to something you wanted and didn’t receive, or a failure of someone to follow-through on a promise, or even being fired from a job. Sometimes the loss is not the result of an accident but rather a deliberate act of evil. M. Scott Peck talks about people of the lie, and postulates that some individuals have simply given themselves over to an evil force, and their negative actions impact others.

Sadness is the emotion that tries to bring to your awareness the fact that you have experienced a loss of some type. You may find it helpful to paraphrase The Serenity Prayer for use in situations of loss. For example, help me to understand the things my mind is capable of understanding; help me to go of the things I can't figure out and use my energy in constructive healing ways, and give me the wisdom to know the difference.Now that's the challenge!