remedies and anodynes there are none

America! You are terrified to have feelings. I realize that's a generalization. But in general, true.

My expressions of grief, pain, anger, astonishment, to be fair, are often met with empathy and no attempt to strategize. I have a lot of friends who are wise enough to know not to offer suggestions, "cures," platitudes, etc.

But there is also this tendency to react to strong emotion with some sort of defense. The main form of the defense is to deflect. "Find a way to distract yourself until you feel better," is the most common general template for this response. It's not necessarily the worst advice-- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, for example, prescribes "emotion opposite action," the trick of performing the outward form of something completely different from what one is feeling. That can be helpful.

However, I'm convinced we are acculturated to be humans doing, not humans being.

But I will tell you that remedies and anodynes do not exist for *this*.

There are none.

None at all.

As in finally and absolutely: none.

It is what it is and it demands to be accepted and experienced as it is.