Understanding the Cynic
“Migraine is treatable.”
That statement is small comfort to many who have lived with migraine for decades with minimal or substandard treatment. It fails to encourage those who have been through years of treatment without success. To many people it feels like too little, too late. All the years of pain and stigma have taken their toll. Bruised, broken, and scarred, some have had their hopes dashed against the sharp rocks of false promises more times than they can remember. All the cries of “Have hope!” fall on deaf ears.
All that’s left is a broken shell of cynicism.
Is there any way to reach through the pain, to ignite a spark of hope that might shine a new light on such a dark view of the world? I wish I had an easy answer. The human spirit is resilient, but not invincible. Faced with enough adversity, any of us can run out of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual resources. Push hard enough for long enough and anyone will break.
Cynicism is a symptom of a broken spirit that has encased itself in a hardened shell in order to protect what remains. It’s hard to feel sympathy for the cynic precisely because they are so negative and mistrusting. Unfortunately, lack of empathy is often what creates the cynic. As hard as it is, compassion is exactly what the cynic needs.
Doctors
Please remember that the hardest-to-love patients are the ones most desperately in need of your compassionate care.
Loved ones
Please remember that the hardness is not a lack of love. It’s protection from the next failed treatment.
Employers
Please remember that the bad attitude isn’t insubordination. It’s frustration at the inability to be the competent, reliable worker you need and deserve.
Fellow migraine friends
Please remember that the resistance to new treatments was forged by the hundreds of disappointments already faced.
Cynics
We love you and will try to understand the intolerable circumstances that created your pain. Because we haven’t walked your path, we still have hope. We’re happy to share some if you need a little bit to make it through your day.
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