Originally Posted by
Verte 
Hi EndGame,
I must apologize and clarify because at the time (over a decade ago) I read When Bad Things Happen to Good People I recall strongly wishing to have an audience with the Rabbi himself so I could speak my mind. The content so enraged me that I threw it 20 feet across a room where it hit the wall with such force that a permanent red streak was left on the white wall - a memento to 'losing it'. The book has been a perennial bestseller forever and has touched many but for me it just made a great fly swatter and drink coaster. Perhaps I will revisit and see what is what.
That's okay, Verte. Books like WBTHTGP straddle the line between inciting and inspiring, depending on where the reader is with such matters and how the author presents the material. For me, the idea that "other people in the world are worse off than you are" is more often a provocation that can result in guilt or shame rather than an inspiration. Many people (and patients) use this as a reason (rationalization) not to take their own problems "too seriously."
Being aware of and taking in the reality that most people suffer in life, often chronically so, is an important developmental milestone, and a requirement for mature thinking and feeling. It grants us the grace of perspective. But using it as a weapon to quiet the sounds we make when we're in pain or to force a sense of perspective can be a form of abuse or, worse, indifference.
Thanks also for your list. The headphone/earbuds thing will be particularly useful.