The Human Condition

As any of you that read the post I wrote last night know, I have some drama going on in my personal life. It was intended to be posted on my personal blog (and I've since moved it there) but, as it was posted here in the first place, I realize that many people read it, and many gave good wishes, thoughts, and prayers. All are appreciated. I want you to know that I am fine, that things will eventually work out as they always seem to in life in the way that fate means them to.

What stood out to me the most, though, was how we can all relate to the human condition, to the tremendous pain (in any of its manifestations) that impacts all of humanity. It seems that this deep-seated hurt, this feeling of being so overwhelmed by pain that you don't know what to do, is something that everyone can understand, that everyone has felt on some level.

Can anyone truly understand someone else's pain, or just the depth of agony someone else is feeling? Is there a point in sharing your private hurts in detail, or is it enough to say, "Gee, you know, I have some bad stuff going down right now?"

And really, in the great scheme of things, is there anything anyone can do about the pain of others other than sympathize, empathize, send good thoughts and well wishes, and hope and pray that things will change for the better?

Is the human condition unique to each human, or do we all feel the same pain, just suffered (and dealt with, I suppose) in different ways?