Expressions, sayings, proverbs and sayings die, disappear when they stop using them. To use stable phrases, you need to know their meaning. But the content of some expressions escapes a person over time. We do not want the popular wisdom diamond “onion grief” (the meaning of phraseology, to be specific) to be lost in the unknown grains of centuries, therefore we will talk about it today.
Value
So they say about a disorder that is not worth shedding tears. For example, a small child loves sweets very much, but he lost the candy that his mother gave him. And he began to cry so that he disturbed his entire house with his behavior. What is it? Here, the stable phrase “onion grief” (the meaning of phraseology will only become clearer in the future) fits perfectly. Onion suffering is remembered when it seems to the observer that grief is not worth it to get upset to tears. But the one who is crying thinks at this tragic moment: “What does he understand, this observer! It’s not his candy that disappeared! ” The question of the legitimacy of tears will be revealed below and a little later, but for now let's talk about the vegetable involved in the saying.
And here is the onion?
Everyone who at least once cleaned this herb will not let you lie: if you do it with a knife, then there will be many tears. This is not to say that in the process of processing onions, a person pours the sea and the ocean of tears, but if you do not resort to tricks, then water flows from the eyes constantly. One cannot but agree with the fact that such a “vegetable” disorder has no particular reason.
So it is with a person who is worried about a trifle. In reality, from the point of view of the observer, there is no reason for tears: the child was taken away the candy or he lost it. A schoolboy received a deuce for examinations in the class or even in the quarter - this is all nonsense, although, of course, depending on what to compare. We hope that the meaning of the phrase “onion sorrow” is now understood (the meaning of phraseology has already been disclosed).
The relativity and absoluteness of suffering for man
Suppose we understand that the point of report in the problem of “onion” is an external observer. And what to do with those who are directly experiencing moral or physical torment? Well-known psychologist Victor Frankl said that suffering is absolute. They fill all the spaces of the soul, regardless of their real scale.
For example, a girl broke her nail, or a person suffers hunger. At a certain point in subjective experience, these sufferings are equal, although from the point of view of an ordinary person, this state of affairs seems absurd and unfair. But if one could measure the degree of subjective tension, then in both cases it would be equal. Therefore, do not rush to use the idiom “onion sorrow” (the meaning of phraseology was discussed a little higher) when you see the other person’s strong emotional overloads on what you think is a nonsense. Maybe for him the reason is not so small.
Let's go back to the child with candy. Yes, for an adult it’s all nonsense, you think, candy. And for the baby, sweetness is the goal of life, alpha and omega of existence. Imagine a philosopher found a universal answer about the meaning of human life and suddenly forgot it! Can you imagine his despair? Like this. And say candy.
Therefore, before using the expression "onion grief", you need to think carefully. It, of course, comforts, but also offends, too.