Why must I suffer? This is the perennial question that has been with us since man could first think and reflect. The simple answer certainly lies in the realization that, because I am conscious and therefore alive, I am embodied with a range of emotions – with thoughts, with feelings, with good, and with evil. I must experience pain as well as joy. I have free will. I am corporeal and have human sensitivities. Here my individuality comes into play. I am a host of givens: my race, my culture, my family, and my education to name but a few. Compounding this is the fact that I am unique in how I respond to the vagaries of life. I have met those in my years who took every circumstance, enlarged it, and made it into the negative – as a receptacle of pain and suffering. They were thus ill-prepared for a real change in circumstance or social position.
As we see from the history of capitalism, for example, there have been vast and immediate fluctuations in the financial wealth of people. The Tulip Mania, and the subsequent economic collapse of 1637, (1) is but one of many examples. The rumors of businessmen jumping out of buildings during the 20th-century economic disaster beginning in 1929 (2) continue to remind us that those who place money and power in front of modesty and public service are most certainly subject to the fickleness of life. Why would you kill yourself over money? I just don’t get it.
Our fiscal wealth is something that can be returned. It is not static. The fortune of Henry Ford (3) is an example of this. He was one of many entrepreneurs who failed countless times before he finally succeeded. What all great people have in common, and this includes the image of our grandfather, is the ability to overcome adversity – without chronically resorting to the Big Five: alcohol, drugs, sex, money and power. They found a way to effectively deal with the suffering of life – and became examples to my individual life.
It is important to note that nothing is achieved without effort. If a person truly wants to grow spiritually, emotionally, and philosophically, a self-study is required. One of the most accessible methods to find that inner peace is silence – to indulge in silent thoughts. We should take that quiet walk in a park or sit in meditative contemplation. These are tried and true methods that can open one’s being to the inner truth we all possess. I am sure we all remark on the specialness that is associated with the cool inner silence of a cathedral or our crisp morning walk in an isolated park.
It is claimed that all answers lie within. I believe this to be true. Through my prayers, I must only ask God, Gaia or the universe to provide me with the answers. I will then place my suffering in its proper context and learn to grow from it. The spiritual teacher and author Eckhart Tolle (b. 1948) leaves us with a thought: Forgive yourself for not being at peace. The moment you completely accept your non-peace, your non-peace is transmuted into peace. Anything you accept fully will get you there, will take you into peace. This is the miracle of surrender.
A closing thought: Due to the material affluence of modern society, many contemporary human beings totally eschew contemplation. Our phone is a blessing and yet a curse. It gives us too much unfiltered data. This is leading to a host of maladies. The most pervasive is psychological loneliness. In an inner quest, it is essential that people come to the realization that they are in effect alone. I was born alone and I will die alone. This is not the solipsistic fear of metaphysical isolation, it is true freedom. How I see the world and how I respond to life is to a large extent of my own choosing. Prayer and meditation are essential tools to facilitate this journey. And these practices are free to all; we simply need to make the journey. (4)
To sum up: This week we spoke about understanding that suffering is necessary for growth. But it must be properly managed to produce a positive and healthy outcome.
To be noted: From Friedrich Nietzsche (5) — He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
Just for fun: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade op.35 – Leif Segerstam – Sinfónica de Galiciahttps://youtu.be/zY4w4_W30aQ
For reflection: Johann Hari, “Lost Connections” (w/ Andrew Sullivan)
This week on your contemplative walk, please reflect on how you integrate suffering into your own life.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful.
Quote: When I truly know who I am, I will finally become a child of the universe.
Footnotes:
1) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dutch_tulip_bulb_market_bubble.asp
2) https://www.history.com/news/stock-market-crash-suicides-wall-street-1929-great-depression
3) Henry Ford: The Complicated Captain of Industry
4) Carl Jung’s View On God (EXPLAINED)
5) 10 Life Lessons From Friedrich Nietzsche (Existentialism)