Our eyes can well up, and tears can roll down our cheeks, if we are overcome with positive emotion, and we are overjoyed.
It's very common among athletes and sports persons, who are unable to hold back their emotions, when they score big.
It is a misconception that only girls and women cry, largely because of societal stereotyping. In many conservative families, when a boy cries, he used to be strictly told not to cry, that it's such a shame, and that only girls cry etc. On the other hand, when a girl cries, the reaction used to be different, but there is no great effort made to console her, because the assumption was girls cry, but boys don't cry. Of course, now there is less of stereotyping, and boys and girls are brought up more or less in the same way.
When Roger Federer won the Australian Open in January this year, at the end of his victory speech he broke down very bitterly. But it was no surprise that he was overcome so heavily with joy. His match was a record 30th Grand Slam final, equalling a record seventh Australian Open final. With his victory he equalled a record six Australian Open titles, and he also became the first man to win 20 Grand Slam titles. With such a huge achievement, who will not be overcome with emotion?!
Fans who watch such epic moments too can be swayed. At the recent Commonwealth Games on Gold Coast, Australia, Indian athletes put up a brilliant show. With a total of 66 medals -- 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze -- India finished third behind Australia and England.
I used to get up early in the morning to watch many events in which India's athletes were in the final; and I was lucky to see India winning the Gold many times. It was such a great feeling - and every time I saw the Indian national flag go up while the Indian national anthem was being played, I got goosebumps and couldn't resist the tears of joy.
(This post is a part of the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2018.")
I don't often cry, so when I do the people around me know something is up.
ReplyDeleteFor what's it worth, I don't think boys and girls are raised too differently then they have been in the past. I think parents are trying to change, but we just aren't there yet. Hopefully things will change in the future, but it's hard to say for sure what will happen.
Thanks for dropping by, Mandy 'n'Justin.
DeleteInteresting subject. . Women are biologically wired to shed more tears than men. A male’s tear duct is larger than that of a female. So if a man and a woman both tear up, the woman’s tears will spill onto her cheeks quicker. I am not an ophthalmologist. I read this in Wall Street Journal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, SG, for the biological angle to it.
DeleteTears of joy are great, but I usually see tears of sadness. It's an overspilling of emotion. I hope boys are more apt to cry, but I don't see evidence of that.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liz, for dropping by. Many boys aren't seen crying probably because they suppress those emotions.
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