Where does suffering come from?
As soon as we arrive in this world, we are so overwhelmed by new sensations that the universal reflex is to cry.... And this crying, which comes from a reflex, helps us to be able to expel from within us something that was once useful to us, but which has since become potentially fatal.
In the first seconds of almost all of us being in this world, we immediately feel suffering.
But is suffering optional? Can we want a life without suffering? Is it even possible to conceive of a life without suffering? Or is suffering part of our existence, from the moment we are placed in this world?
And how can we define suffering or pain? I think it can all be summed up in one simple phrase: “The inevitability of unwanted experiences”. We know that no one, or almost no one, seeks out suffering or pain (I know there are exceptions), but these experiences, although unwanted or unaccepted, are in fact inevitable. Nothing we can do will eliminate them.
...And on what premise can we say that they are inevitable?
I begin my reflection with the following Dogma, or Law: “Things are constantly changing”. Nothing stays the same. It's all a matter of time. There is nothing that we know of that we can say is like this, that it has always been like this, and that it will always continue to be like this.
And suffering is somehow linked to this truth. If everything changes, when we want things to remain the same, or unchanged or constant, we are wanting or looking for something IMPOSSIBLE.
In this impossible search, which we believe is somehow possible, we place our energies and moods.
If, instead of focusing on the things we want to remain unchanged, we had a different attitude?
I think it could help to at least mitigate some of the (felt) suffering. Changes would continue to happen, but since we're not attached to a situation/feeling/relationship, we'd end up accepting, or at least not feeling so viscerally, a change.
https://pixabay.com/photos/rope-nature-dew-736456/
We can't want to grip the rope too tightly in an attempt to control more of our lives, if we don't we'll hurt our hand, despite all the form we exert on the rope.... and if the force of the weight of life is great enough, it will make life pull us back. We must know how to grasp the rope in a more intelligent and adaptive way.
I hope you enjoyed my reflection today!
Cheers🍀
Free image from Pixabay.com
Makes me think about Non-Attachment, in the Buddhist sense. Maybe suffering is just one of those things we can also let go of... along with the idea that things are necessarily "good" or "bad."
When it rains, it is great is my garden is dry and dying; not so great if I am having an outdoor wedding celebration. But... ultimately rain is just rain.
Pain is not optional, but suffering is...
=^..^=
🤗
Is it Trump's tariff announcements that have you talking about suffering? 😀
Not really... Ahahah But the conversation and my thoughts went there, can you believe it? Have a great weekend, my friend!
Life is change and growth. Sometimes we have some fleeting control, and others we don't. In the end, the best you can do is enjoy the ride while it lasts!
Exactly. All we need is to release some of the "extra" grip and energy that we put in thigs that are impossible to control :)
@xrayman, you're rewarding 3 replies from this discussion thread.