Tears -- everyone sheds them

Sunday, I was channel surfing, when I happened to see that one of my all time favorite movies, "Pride of The Yankees," was on. The movie was about halfway through, but I knew two things immediately. First, I would watch it to the very end, and I would cry all the way through the last few scenes.

The tears I shed were of a certain type and category. I can hear you asking, why would I need to categorize tears? It's simple, there are so many kinds of tears, that trying to know and understand them all, could bring a person to tears.

The Wikipedia online encyclopedia has some interesting material on tears. Tears are described as: Lacrimation, or lachrymation, (from Latin lacrima, meaning "tear") is the secretion of tears, which serve to clean and lubricate the eyes. Strong emotions such as sorrow, elation, awe, and pleasure, as well as irritation of the eyes, laughing, and yawning, may lead to an excess production of tears, or weeping.

Tears may just be one of the single most ambiguous words in our English Language. At the very beginning we must place tears in the realm of good health.

Tears lubricate and cleanse our very sensitive eyes. You can, as the definition states, have tears caused naturally by wind, dust, injury, and the very act of yawning.

These tears are not only very common; they are necessary for the health of the eye. All that aside, we humans tend to put more emphasis on the emotional causes for tears.

Tears affect all of us regardless of whose tears are at issue. A child cries often. We have all seen youngsters who were so upset, that their tears streaked down their faces so profusely, that we have a special name for them, "alligator tears!"

Women tend to find it easier to cry. I'm not sure why men are a bit ashamed of their own tears, but they are. As little boys, they can cry with the best, but once they reach a certain age it's as if there is a rite of passage that says to a young man, "don't let them see you cry."

I've often wondered if this is not a product of human sociology. In our ancient ancestor's times, the males of the tribes were often out hunting and fighting. The noise of crying out could be very dangerous. Men were trained in adolescence to avoid tears in spite of any fear or pain. That may or may not be true, but it would explain a lot about why men don't want to let anyone see their tears.

To the men reading this column, I ask this question, "how many times have you held back" your tears? You might be at a sad event like a funeral, or a happy one such as a wedding. How often have you made both the mental and physical effort to keep the tears from flowing?

One last note about men and tears. They can force themselves to avoid crying, but oh, what pain most of us feel when we see a child or a woman cry. We immediately have an instinctive reaction, and desperately want the tears to stop.

Now I would be a complete dunce if I were to say I understand women or their tears. Any man who thinks he has that capability is on a "fools errand."

Just visit any funeral or wedding, and my point will be proved. Women cry so easily and unashamedly. I don't know why, and I suspect it will remain a mystery for time immortal.

Perhaps that's why women prefer certain types of movies known by the term "tear jerkers," while men like to see action films. There is not much in an action movie to make our tears fall.

But even the best of men cry. They don't like to admit it, but they do. I think it makes them feel less in control or manly. But cry, men do, just not often.

Then along comes an afternoon like Sunday, when "Pride of The Yankees," is on, and so are my own tears. I am sure many of you will know about the movie, but just in case, here is a brief review.

Lou Gehrig was a famous baseball player in the '20s and '30s for the NY Yankees. He held a record of 2130 consecutive games played until Cal Ripken broke the mark a few years ago.

Lou had his career brought to a premature end, when he contracted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was so famous at the time, and so little was known by the general public, that the illness still today is often referred to by the name "Lou Gehrig's Disease."

Lou made a final farewell appearance at Yankee Stadium before going off to what he already knew was his ultimate and certain death. He made one of the great farewell speeches in history at that ceremony.

In 1942, Gary Cooper played the part of Gehrig in the movie. If you haven't seen it, you have missed one of the true "tear jerkers," I was alone when I watched it Sunday, but that would not have mattered. Alone, or in a large crowd, my tears would have fallen!

There was another reason I thought of tears for this story. Recently, I said something that made another person cry. When they told me later, it was as if I had "the wind knocked out of me." The last thing I ever wanted to do was bring someone to tears. Hit me, yell at me, do anything, just don't cry in front of me!

Yes, tears are the result of a multitude of physical and emotional causes. Just remember, it's OK to cry, but try to never be the cause of another's tears.