“Sharing sadness”— What we can take from the Vietnamese in times of grief.

In Vietnamese, we have a term called “chia buồn”, which literally translates to sharing sadness. This language is often used when someone is experiencing the death of a loved one. At first glance, one can easily interpret this as spreading negativity. In western culture, we are encouraged to spread positivity while suffering in silence. But if we just shift our perspective, we’d realize that sadness isn’t such a negative thing. Sadness is just a part of life. And life isn’t all flowers, rainbows, and unicorns. How can we truly appreciate happiness without experiencing sadness? But just like spreading positivity— maybe we are not meant to experience sadness alone. We are put here on this earth to be there for each other through hard times just as much as we are here to celebrate one another. Sometimes sharing sadness with the people around us can make us feel less alone. We may have not all been through the same hardships, but grief is something we’ve all experienced. There’s nothing wrong with taking a bit of sadness off of someone’s plate if you have the emotional space to do so. So next time you see someone going through a rough patch, don’t forget to chia buồn with them.