ABSTRACT
To bear sorrow gracefully is the right thing to do. At least that’s what the British would have us believe. But then, they have the same prescription for all feelings: bear them, with grace. Folks from Finland and Japan have also mastered this art; they don’t say a word about sorrow. The Spanish, Portuguese, and Mexicans are different. They do not attempt to bear or bury emotions, including, of course, sorrow. They seek to transform it into song, afternoon sex, poetry, and high-pitched family drama. Indians visit temples, Puerto Ricans cook up a storm, Italians drink their wine, and Germans try engineering and mathematics. Facing the multiplicity of ways to handle sorrow (or, shall we say, of being handled by sorrow), a thinking person—which I self-indulgently declare myself to be and, quickly seeking forgiveness for the immodesty, include you in this category—is compelled to ask what actually is a “good” response to sorrow.
