c'mon everyone... let's share a hug

i’ve recently come to the realization that group therapy is a brilliant idea. you stick a handful of similarly neurotic people into one room, and they talk to each other about their problems. the danger of fisticuffs aside, i can’t imagine a more effective way to work through one’s personal issues.

people are so unwilling to throw their lot in with the rest of the population, choosing instead to suffer silently, or at least independently. preferring to believe that the rest of the world is too inept to understand their problems and feelings, people convince themselves that they are totally alone and that no one in history has ever felt what they are feeling.

i know that i have had bad times. i’ve felt sorry for myself, i’ve moaned about being misunderstood, i’ve believed that i was somehow unique in my sorrow. but i know now (and i think deep down i knew then) that the idea of being completely exceptional is a load of horseshit. my life was not a story for the headlines. the problems i had were the problems of thousands, if not millions, of other children/girls/teenagers/young adults out there. i share similar circumstances, reactions, feelings, and so forth with a stupendously large group of people. certainly, not everyone will react the same way to the same stimulus, but to assume that no one does? that’s just arrogant.

but arrogant or not, it doesn't change that everyone feels this way at some point. even if you’re aware enough to recognize that you’re being foolish, it won’t change the way you feel at that particular moment of misery.

now imagine what it would be like if people learned to cope with their feelings together, if people could band together for support and share similar experiences and attitudes. imagine if we could all partipate in some crunchy-granola kind of group therapy for the masses. wouldn't we all be more productive, more caring, and more sympathetic? and in the end, even if we couldn't claim all of the pity for ourselves, wouldn't we be happier?