Suffering: A Necessary Evil

Sometimes, the trials of life can seem too much to bear. There are nights when the pillow is soaked through with tears, nights where no solace can be found. But, is not suffering an essential human experience? Is not suffering indeed one of the most important human experiences? There are some who would question whether or not suffering even exists; and, there are, too, some who simply call it something else. However, these people are doing themselves a great disservice in not recognizing suffering as a human experience. To an extent, things exist in this world as opposites. There is love and there is hate. There is life and there is death. To your white, I have a black, and so on. And, just as with the others, to joy and prosperity, there is also suffering and loss. To deny suffering as a human experience is to acknowledge only that which is good in life… optimists often take this line of thinking. However, it has been my experience that when a life catastrophe finally does strike, the optimist is less able to deal with the terrible situation that has been forced upon them than is the person who embraces suffering as an essential human experience.

Suffering exists and it is a very real and raw human experience. The pessimist often realizes this. However, like the optimist,  the pessimist also takes her/his view to the extreme so that very little of value is gleamed from having gone through the process of suffering. To the pessimist suffering is simply a state of being, a state of existing, if you will. Suffering simply is… it is the opposite to joy, the antithesis of happiness. A pessimist fails to see the value that can be found in embracing suffering. A pessimist seeks to distance him/herself from either extreme and instead numbs themselves to all emotions.

The point that I am trying to make is this: Suffering is essential in order to teach us things. Or, rather, suffering should never be  viewed as a human experience that is meant solely to force tears down our cheeks or wrench our hearts from our chests. Human suffering should always be viewed as an opportunity to open the self and discover something real… something beautiful. If we allow it to, suffering can teach us lessons about ourselves, about those around us, and about how we interact with the world. Suffering can be a window through which we may glimpse the figure of the person that we wish to become. Underneath all of the pain and tears that come with suffering are the lessons that teach us to love and cherish this life. Yes, cry, weep even… embrace the pain; but, also allow yourself time to be with your suffering. It is in these snapshot moments of life where the weight of the entire world seems to be upon our shoulders that an opportunity is born, that in these instances we may find the recourse to make our lives fulfilling and meaningful.

Gaining a Better Understanding of the Self

My experiences in life have taught me about the fragility of human nature, and that our existence here is one of the most temperamental and delicate things that exists in the natural world. The human condition is dependent on so much without the realm of our control that one may question exactly where the idea that we control our own destiny came from. We do not get to pick and choose when we feel sad or when we feel happy… we do not get to pick and choose when our parents die or when our significant other has to leave for a long period of time. To a large extent, our state of being is influenced by things far from our control. Even the best planning and consideration with foresight cannot prevent the unknown from happening. So, how then does one deal with the occasionally oppressive weight that life throws on our shoulders? I think it is best to live in the moment… to allow one to experience the full canvas of emotions. Now, some may be prone to think that living “in the moment” promotes a certain daredevil, reckless sort of lifestyle; but, I think differently than that. Oddly enough, I believe that living in the moment and experiencing the full weight of one’s emotions actually promotes a prescient awareness, for it grounds one in reality; and, if one is grounded in reality, one understands the situation more clearly; and, if one understands the situation more clearly, than one can better her/his understanding of their emotions, thus equipping one with the emotional maturity that promotes a more wholesome awareness of one’s own  condition within the human experience. Living in the moment can be dangerous for your emotions can more easily control you; yet, it is more prudent than living in the past and dwelling on emotions. Living in the past merely promotes the awareness of emotions… it does not promote the mastery of emotions – it is contemplative. I am not arguing for anyone to discount and discredit their past experiences, for they too are part of who we are and are part of the human experience; however, they are only things that we can learn from retrospectively and the past will not equip us with the knowledge required to live in the reality of today. Living in the moment, in the here-and-now, is about mastering one’s emotions and through this mastery gaining the ability to better understand one’s own human condition – it is through this that a prescient awareness is developed… an awareness that will equip one to live in the reality of today. We must give ourselves over to the moment and embrace the unpredictability of life. This is where living in the moment, living in the reality of today… in the reality of the here-and-now, is essential. It will help us to better cope with the invisible force that directs the course of our lives. We cannot dominate life, for, surely such a thing would be to our own detriment; no, we must only aspire to catch glimpses of its triumphs and tragedies… and in those moments – moments that we must dedicate ourselves to – we must strive to understand and master our emotions. This understanding can then lead to a better understanding of the human condition and then human nature itself… pain… suffering… joy… love… … … all existing in the reality of today.

Of Time

Time… a concept that man has oft pondered at. I have thought much of time lately. I have thought of its fragility, of its passing, and of the power that it holds over all of humanity, and indeed over all things. Time held the answers to the greatest scientific questions of the 16 and 17th centuries; and, many also think that it holds the answers to some of this eras most problematic and otherworldly scientific questions.

Time… how does one measure its passing? For, when was time’s beginning, and when will time end; that is, if time is ever to come to an end. Time will eventually destroy everything as there is nothing in this world that can outlast it. Our modern skyscrapers, our stone bridges, our Cristo Redentors and Eiffel Towers will all eventually succumb to the passing of time. Their metal and stone will rust and erode away… mirroring humanity’s own capitulation to time; for, eventually, our hearts will stop beating. It seems to me, that with all the awesome power it holds, humanity should be worshiping and praying to time – but, that would be silly wouldn’t it? We try so very hopelessly to preserve our most treasured historical documents, artifacts and landmarks. But, they too will acquiesce to time. Perhaps time does not heal all wounds but creates new ones.

Considering the sheer scope of time, our existence here on this Earth is so very short. But, time is not all destruction and death… while it does truly destroy all it also gives rise to several wondrous human concepts. Humanity partitions time into three relative categories: the past, present and future. It is the future that gives us hope, it is the future that serves as motivation for humanity to better itself. One may sit and wonder what the world will be like in 100 or 1,000 years. Will things have been destroyed? Yes. But, in their place we have a chance to place something beautiful, something venerable and something far more exceptional that what preceded it.

Time truly is relative; but, it is what we have been given… it is how we ultimately define our world and how we measure our existence. Use it wisely – do not despair at its passing and embrace the opportunities that time sometimes affords us. I think Robert Herrick related it best when he wrote in a poem:

” Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.”