Grief

Life Goes On

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One of the most shocking realizations for people who have recently lost a loved one is that life goes on around them just like it did before. Everything has changed irrevocably but the world doesn’t seem to notice and just keeps moving at that same steady hum, people keep going on about their business, television programs keep appearing at their regularly scheduled times.

We have written a lot about grief being a chance for growth and personal development, and in this context it’s the opportunity to confront primary narcissism in order to move towards a more mature outlook on the world. That hidden belief that life should come to a screeching halt because of your personal loss is natural and understandable, but psychologically speaking it’s indicative of the egocentricity we all share to one degree or another.

In this sense your grief experience provides you with an invaluable opportunity to expand your field of vision, to see your place in the world more objectively, to become more outward focused, to leave behind your egocentricity. This is a gift from your loved one that you can feel gratitude for and it might help to instill a sense of meaning into a situation that feels meaningless and hopeless.