The term condolence derives from the action of condolence : experiencing compassion, sharing pain . The concept is usually used in the plural (condolences) to refer to participation in another's pain or to the expression of condolences in the face of a loss .
For example: “The owner of the company sent his condolences to the widow,” “The president sent his condolences to the victims' families,” “The neighbors expressed condolences for the young man's tragedy.”
Condolences are expressions that a person makes to make public their sadness over the death of someone and to communicate to the family and friends of the deceased that they share their sorrow. These messages are made as a way to accompany those who are suffering and to express your support.
With respect to the term condolences , which in many contexts can act as a synonym for condolences , it is interesting to note that it is the obsolete way to express "it weighs on me", that is, the verb after the indirect object, unlike what we would say today. Anyone who sends their condolences to another person or offers their condolences "is weighing" the death, shares the weight with them and lets them know through this simple action.
Many times condolences are developed following protocol formulas or that express respect . Rulers and leaders often communicate their condolences to people they do not know using these formulas that are socially accepted. A condolence message could be as follows: “I want to express my sincere condolences for the recent death. I hope that you can find quick resignation in the face of loss and that the soul of the deceased rest in peace.”
It is also possible to express condolences informally, when someone wants to comfort a friend or family member over a loss . In these cases, you can say phrases like “I'm very sorry, count on me for whatever you need” or “We are with you in this difficult moment, all of us who love you will help you get through this.”
And upon entering the terrain of informality we begin to see the variety of ways in which each society expects or admits that people express their empathy for the loss of others: first of all, we have greetings and clichés, formal messages. that they teach us to repeat to use in corporate settings; Then, language also gives us ways to express condolences to our loved ones, in an apparently spontaneous way.
But it is important to note that many people feel great discomfort when facing the death of someone close to a friend or acquaintance, and do not know how to react, despite knowing the phrases and manners mentioned above. In most Western cultures , death is a cause of deep sadness, it is an event that we prefer not to talk about to prevent the memories from distressing us; All this negative load that is instilled in us from a young age turns against us when it comes to saying a simple "I'm very sorry."
The book of condolences is known as the book that is placed at funeral services so that attendees can write on its pages their messages of tribute to the person who is being watched. Once again, although there are trends regarding the use of this book , given that it is something so intimate, it is likely that those close to the family of the deceased write in a close and loving tone, remembering anecdotes or promises, or making reference to secrets that will never come to light, perhaps using internal codes so that no one can decipher them.