Stephen Colbert And Anderson Cooper Speak About Touching Thoughts On Grief

Aug 22, 2019 by apost team

Grief is a universal emotion that unites us all. No matter who we are, rich or poor, we've all lost someone who matters to us. Grief is a powerful force in our world. Some people can be devastated by it, while others use it as motivation to be their very best in life.

Celebrities might be rich and famous, but they're not exempt from experiencing grief just like the rest of us.

Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper seem like very different celebrities on the surface. While Stephen is known for jokingly reporting on the hot topics of the day, Anderson is better known for factually reporting the news and frequently putting himself directly in the line of fire.

While the two men might have very different public images, they share something very tragic. They both lost their fathers when they were only 10 years old.

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During an interview on Anderson's show, the host began asking Stephen about some comments he'd previously made about the loss of his father, who perished horrifically along with his brothers in a 1974 plane crash. Anderson couldn't help but to tear up, overcome by how much he could personally relate to Stephen's tragic experience.

"[You've said in the past], ‘what punishments of God are not gifts?’" Anderson asked Stephen. "Do you really believe that?"

Stephen confirmed that he did indeed believe that even the loss of his father and brothers, although tragic, was a kind of gift. Stephen believes that existence itself is a gift and loss is a component of existing. Therefore, grief is all part of a larger gift from God.

Stephen also explained that he believed that experiencing loss allowed him to be more empathetic of others.

"What do you get from loss?," Stephen asked. "You get awareness of other people's loss, which allows you to connect with that other person, which allows you to love more deeply and to understand what it's like to be a human being".

We think it's beautiful that Stephen's meaningful message about grief and loss touched Anderson so deeply. In fact, it touched us deeply as well. Remember, we're all in this life together and we have more in common with one another than we tend to realize.

You can watch the whole interview in the video below, and another interview with Anderson on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert:"

Do you feel moved by this thoughtful interview? Tell us your thoughts in the comments, and make sure to pass this on to others who may be dealing with grief and loss at the moment.