At one point I had tears in my eyes about it. I was cutting onions at the time.
I used to tear up too. Now I use a chef knife and 4 whacks, pull off the onion from the skin and throw them in the food processor, or whatever.
I saw a chef program on PBS, where the chef/cook wore motorcycle goggels while cutting a large amount of onions.
The only other thing to avoid crying is to use a candle, on close proximity to the cutting board .
The updraft of the lit candle, created a hot air column, which lifted the capiscum up, and out of hamrs way.