Frankly Existential

What Does it mean to suffer?

While there does not seem to be a stable benchmark for someone to begin to suffer, there are some general agreements on suffering that help us roughly understand what it is. When someone has the sole desire of escape even without a destination (literal or metaphorical) in mind, we would say this person is suffering. The state they are in currently is so distressing that it seems anywhere is better than here. To suffer is to desire an escape from your current situation regardless of where you end up.

While this seems like an easily universalizable principle, and while the principle itself is easily universalizable, the point at which a person begins to desire that escape is not the same for everyone. If we were to scale that desire from 0 to 10, one person’s 3 can be another person’s 8, but that 3 and 8 are thresholds of suffering. Not everyone is equally resilient, some can handle a heavier load before becoming overwhelmed, before they break and feel the need to run away.

To go back, there is an important metaphysical aspect to having a universalizable principle to discuss this. This concept and its importance will be discussed further at a later time.

The Value of Suffering

It seems like it doesn’t make sense to try and take a positive perspective on an experience that is seen as so negative. My only response to this is that a positive perspective is the only way to escape the suffering. This is for sure easier said than done and our mindset can’t simply flip like a switch, especially while in a state of suffering. So how can we attribute any value to suffering? How can we look at our own suffering with a sense of gratitude and thanks?

One: The first change in mindset we must accomplish is to not view our suffering as something that happens to us, but rather focus on how we respond to it. This is a testament to our own perseverance, and the strength of our body and mind. The reassurance from the thought of our own autonomy and our control over our response to suffering is enough to start this chain of events leading to overcoming it.

Two: We must acknowledge that happiness is worthless without suffering. The fact we can experience suffering, and how little we want to experience it, makes its opposite more valuable to us, albeit a subjective value. We don’t value happiness because it on its own is of any value, but simply because it is a preferable alternative. Again, only subjectively. The pursuit of happiness for its own sake is something to avoid.

Three: This idea is often avoided, but it is the most empowering. Really look into how responsible you are for your own suffering. How much of it have you brought upon yourself? Are you being wronged by the world or is your suffering simply a consequence of your own decisions? Be sure not to misrepresent this idea. I am not saying this is always the case. It would be foolish and insensitive to imply that all our suffering is our own fault, but really look inward and find out which parts of it may be. When we suffer for too long we become comfortable in that state due to it just being what we know. We may unknowingly allow ourselves to continue to suffer for the sake of keeping some sense of stability in chaos. So what part of this is empowering? Well if you do happen to be the cause of your own suffering it makes it easier to do something about it. You can take control of yourself far easier than you can take control of the world. The empowerment comes from acknowledging your ability to take yourself out of your own suffering.

Closing Statement

This is just a few rough put together thoughts on suffering. I think many believe that the purpose of the human experience is to eliminate suffering, but perhaps we are better off learning how to manage it. It doesn’t seem like it is something that will just disappear no matter how hard we try. I’ll continue to think more about this. Thank you for reading. Be well.