SUFFERING
Let's look at what we learned so far:
- We started out defining life as self actualization and a learning
experience.
- We discussed the need for a healthy body, mind and spirit, for
actualization in these levels.
- We addressed disability as the inability to live a self actualizing life,
and as the consequence of various factors some of which are beyond our
control, while others are.
- We discussed pain as the impact of trauma, misery, and hardship intended
to protect us and give us a learning experience, however, often leading to
debilitating anguish where we do not learn to cope.
It seems we have
built a perspective with the following driving forces:
- self actualization i.e. growing, developing ourselves, while overcoming
adversity in a hostile world
- learning to cope with adversity
- anguish when unable to cope with adversity
- the source of our adversity
Who said: "Suffering is caused by God
to make us learn from our Karma"? Yes, I may have said it, but should I not have
rephrased that saying: "Suffering is caused by our fellow man to hurt us and
destroy us, while we are praying to God that we may survive".? Maybe both are
true. Maybe suffering is to teach us to be more compassionate to stop killing
and hurting eachother, but instead to work toward survival of the human race.
Suffering is experiencing the anguish, the pain, the disability and the
hopelessness.
If we have the spirit, resilience, and self confidence to
counter the anguish and use our mind to gain insight in the situation, we may
learn to cope, we may liberate ourselves of the debilitating circumstances.
Suffering is at the root of learning. Learning is the object of suffering.
Learning can set us free and help us attain the self actualization we are
yearning for.
Suffering is not the objective, but the motivational driver to learning and
self actualization.
Suffering leads to learning, which leads to living life to the fullest. Using
our mind and spirit to learn is the truly human experience. Even lower living
organisms learn and evolve. We can do it much faster. If we learn to learn from
our suffering, we will improve our Quality of Life.
Now, metaphorically speaking, you can either identify with the Dragon or with
the Dragon slayer. Take your pick:
The Chinese view:
"We all are
Dragons, somewhat like the like the fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex, blowing fire at
our hostile environment."
Or the mediaeval European view:
"We are Dragon
slayers, continuously trying to slay our hostile environment, the
Dragon."
Personally, I vote for being the Dragon.