In 2008 at a zoo in Munster, Germany, a gorilla named Gana gave birth to a male infant, who died after three months. The Daily Mail declared “Crowds thronged the zoo to see the grieving mother,” who looked stricken and inconsolable as she cradled her dead baby. But, sad as the scene was, it was the humans who cried for there is no scientific basis that animals can weep. “Years of observations by the primatologist Dian Fossey, who observed gorillas, and Jane Goodall, who worked with chimpanzees, could not prove that animals cry tears from emotion.”
It is true that many mammals shed tears, especially in response to pain, for tears protect the eyes by keeping them moist, for they contain antimicrobial proteins. However, Jeffrey Moussaief Masson and Susan McCarthy, authors of “When Elephants Weep,” admitted most watchers have never seen them weep. But Michael Trimble says “crying as an embodiment of empathy is, I maintain, unique to humans and has played an essential role and the development of human cultures.”
Babies can imitate facial expressions at two days and can cry, and often do, consistently in the first few weeks as their tears demand attention and establish a pattern of feeding behaviour with their parents. They can of course cry without tears as many parents have found out to their frustration. “As we get older, crying becomes a tool of our social repertory: grief and joy, shame and pride, fear and manipulation.”
Men cry less than women usually, and mostly at home, in the early evening, with a friend or close companion who also cries. It appears that women tear-up between 30 to 60 times a year, while men well up between 6 and 17 times per annum. Several presidents of the United States, in their presidential term, teared up in public. Sports personalities are also often reduced to tears after winning: man or woman, it doesn’t matter! Darwin concluded that crying occurred less in Britain than in non-Western countries, and it was determined that, across 37 countries, Americans, Germans and Italians are more prone to tears than Bulgarians, Chinese and Peruvians, and people from wealthier counties with moderate climates cry or admit to crying more frequently.
I like watching Andre Rieu who leads his orchestra playing wonderfully and entertaining the assembled crowds from country to country. Often the camera will pan over the audience and one can see that both men and women are reduced to tears at the music. This belies the often held theory that tears are a sign of grief or pain, although of course they can be and do underlie the story of life with situations that are inexplicable and almost unbearable; the death of a loved one, the loss of a company or the announcement by a doctor that we have cancer. Gross disappointment, fear of pain and abject loss of any kind.
In the Taming of the Shew, Shakespeare says: “And if the boy have not a woman’s gift to rain a shower of commanded tears, an onion will do well for such a gift.” Thus to avoid dry eyes a widow would hide an onion in her handkerchief lest their bereavement was underestimated. Such manipulation is so sad for grief takes many forms, which no one understands. There was such a woman in Jesus’ day. As he sat at meat she burst in and wiped his feet with her hair as her tears mingled with the anointing ointment. Tears of joy for forgiveness extended, tears of happiness for a life changed and a new future ensured, tears of peace that she was made new and clean again. Hallelujah!
The whole basis of Christianity is one of common tears, for it is said in Psalm, 23 “He comforts me” that word ‘comfort’ means ‘to sigh with’ to reduce to tears if need be. Many times when praying for people in the services I find myself in tears as words seem meaningless such is their plight. To cry with is to comfort, little else is needed; compassion bestowed and sympathy extended realistically.
Jesus was touched by a man who had a son who threw himself continually in the fire, so He said this: “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’ ” [Mark 9:23, 24]. The tears did it. The child was healed.
Jesus was eprimanded by Mary and Martha because he had not come at their summons, asked where Lazarus lay dead, and seeing their grief and disbelief it is recorded that “Jesus Wept” [John 11:36]. Those were the tears of the Lord of resurrection; they believed in the ultimate resurrection in some distant time, Jesus was saying “I am the resurrection — NOW.” He wept over their disbelief, my prayer is that He will have no tears except of joy because we believe now that He exhibits the power of resurrection and we believe it – our Lazarus’s will arise indeed.
