Suffering
All of us have been suffering to a certain extent
If you say, you didn't, you may be not most truthful to yourself at this moment.
But why do we have to suffer?
Why can the world not be without it?
Some people believe that suffering is brought about by human errors
Somehow we were given a big freedom at birth
and through our errors, we have created suffering for our self.
... that is only partly true.
Some suffering is indeed self-inflicted to a certain degree
A good example is the person seeking relief in alcohol abuse
Sure the person started with a level of suffering, but the abuse of alcohol makes it worse.
Other more delicate examples of self inflicted suffering may lay in the wrong use of our mind.
Pessimism, negativity, unnecessary worries, unfounded fears may all lead to unnecessary suffering.
But definitely not all suffering is self inflicted. Did a child choose something wrong or think in a wrong way if it gets a malignancy? The answer is no. The loss of a loved one. Even though some diseases such as stomach ulcers may be related to stress and wrong living and a lot of diseases are related to unhealthy life style, still a lot of disease are not .
When in 2010, only 7 months apart, I fractured my vertebra and my shoulder, I underwent a great deal of suffering. But a bad part of my suffering came about through my lack of acceptance, especially after the second fracture.
Sometimes we suffer for prolonged times, because we cannot accept. I truly suffered after the death of my mother. I suffered a long time. True enough I was missing her madly. But during prayerful reflection, I received some insight that alleviated this type of suffering. Rather than focusing on the absence of my mother now, I was trying to focus on the wonderful, the many fantastic moments we had enjoyed together. The bitterness of missing made gradually place for the gratitude of having had.
The way we accept difficulties may play an important role in the degree and the way we experience some types of suffering.
Suffering cannot be avoided. All of us do suffer to a certain extent in our lives. We do not enjoy it. Some suffering can be prevented by our way of living. Some can be prevented by our way of thinking. The unpreventable suffering can be altered sometimes by the way we accept it.
I am not an expert on suffering. But the above is based and originated/built up from a prayerful reflection I had written down in 1992.
I wish you a life with minimal suffering. If suffering comes anyhow, realizing that it often makes us wiser and stronger, can give some relief. The song, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" has some truth in it.
All of us have been suffering to a certain extent
If you say, you didn't, you may be not most truthful to yourself at this moment.
But why do we have to suffer?
Why can the world not be without it?
Some people believe that suffering is brought about by human errors
Somehow we were given a big freedom at birth
and through our errors, we have created suffering for our self.
... that is only partly true.
Some suffering is indeed self-inflicted to a certain degree
A good example is the person seeking relief in alcohol abuse
Sure the person started with a level of suffering, but the abuse of alcohol makes it worse.
Other more delicate examples of self inflicted suffering may lay in the wrong use of our mind.
Pessimism, negativity, unnecessary worries, unfounded fears may all lead to unnecessary suffering.
But definitely not all suffering is self inflicted. Did a child choose something wrong or think in a wrong way if it gets a malignancy? The answer is no. The loss of a loved one. Even though some diseases such as stomach ulcers may be related to stress and wrong living and a lot of diseases are related to unhealthy life style, still a lot of disease are not .
When in 2010, only 7 months apart, I fractured my vertebra and my shoulder, I underwent a great deal of suffering. But a bad part of my suffering came about through my lack of acceptance, especially after the second fracture.
Sometimes we suffer for prolonged times, because we cannot accept. I truly suffered after the death of my mother. I suffered a long time. True enough I was missing her madly. But during prayerful reflection, I received some insight that alleviated this type of suffering. Rather than focusing on the absence of my mother now, I was trying to focus on the wonderful, the many fantastic moments we had enjoyed together. The bitterness of missing made gradually place for the gratitude of having had.
The way we accept difficulties may play an important role in the degree and the way we experience some types of suffering.
Suffering cannot be avoided. All of us do suffer to a certain extent in our lives. We do not enjoy it. Some suffering can be prevented by our way of living. Some can be prevented by our way of thinking. The unpreventable suffering can be altered sometimes by the way we accept it.
I am not an expert on suffering. But the above is based and originated/built up from a prayerful reflection I had written down in 1992.
I wish you a life with minimal suffering. If suffering comes anyhow, realizing that it often makes us wiser and stronger, can give some relief. The song, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" has some truth in it.
I read this somewhere, only full acceptance can bring you true peace. Only after going through hardships will one understand the wisdom of it. When we go against the current of life, suffering results. Whereas going with the flow and finding ways to adapt is the key to end all sufferings. But most important of all, having the heart and mind to be accepting is what that's missing from most people who're suffering
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