"Threshold? What Threshold?"

Odds are you've been in this situation yourself. A friend, colleague or relative is crying about something horrible that happened to him. And into this scenario walks in another fellow, delivering the cliched yet necessary line that goes something like this. "What're you crying about? This is nothing. There are so many worse things that could happen to you..."

Like most of you reading this, I've heard this myself. I've been told so by my parents, friends and teachers. In fact, you might have even read posts of mine declaring that the pain we suffer is little compared to that of people all around us.

Yet, recently, I had....you could say, an epiphany, though it wasnt all that dramatic. More like an apple-falling-on-the-head moment. And that's how I got this post.

Now in keeping with the tradition of all my posts on Laptop Diary, I'm going to give you an example. Why? Because I'm good at it. And also because I dont know any other way of explaining it.

Imagine you're with a friend who is going through a tough time - say, unemployed and heavily in debt. It goes without saying that he'll be more than a little worried. Suppose you happen to meet a little kid, not more than 4 or 5 years old. Try squeezing his hand as hard as you can. Unless he was raised in the jungle, the kid'll start crying.

Now, in dramatic fashion, point towards your depressed pal, and tell the kid. "What're you crying about? This is nothing. There are so many worse things that could happen to you..."

You get the point? No sane minded chap would say that to a kid. And the reason? Because for the kid, the pain felt is more than he can possibly bear. It crosses his threshold of pain. It's the same with an 8-year old who's left stranded in a busy supermarket for a few minutes. Or a young adult whose lost a college admission.

Its bothered me when people compare the pain felt by each other. It doesn't seem fair. Different people have different thresholds to endure pain. Then what's the point of comparison?

I don't mind when people narrate experiences of hardship and endurance, as long as its to motivate and encourage someone. But belittling and mocking others doesn't seem right.

At least, that's what I think. Most of you'll just say, "Threshold? What threshold? What're you crying about? This is nothing. There are so many worse things that could happen to you..."

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