Loss is hard.
But we need leaders and storytellers who understand that a narrative can’t always be positive.
Losses need to be felt and fully grieved. We have to be careful because grief is not something our culture does well.
We minimize grief, trivialize it and expect it to be over much sooner than it ever is.
After there’s been a loss, it’s tempting for leaders to try and point out the hopeful positives. While we can hope for positive outcomes, we can’t promise them and we shouldn’t solely focus on the cloud’s silver lining.
So the stories that come from the leaders of a tribe need to be sensitive to the loss, acknowledge it and remind everyone that it’s okay to feel the pain.
Loss is an undeniable part of life.
We don’t want to grieve. We don’t want to experience the hard feeling but if we don’t they will never evolve into better things.
We will bury pieces of our own selves and never return to unearth them for integration.
Only then will true healing come, have a chance to really happen in the future.
