On suffering…
The hardest thing that you have ever done is the hardest thing you have ever done.
Who you are is defined by what you are willing to suffer for.
The path of least resistance will never lead to long term happiness.
Depth and meaning come from overcoming suffering.
You cannot really know love without first experiencing loneliness, beauty without ugliness, nor faith without doubt. And these pains need to be preserved within those pleasures in order for the latter to remain meaningful.
“How you perceive life as a whole plays a role in your attitude to suffering. If you see suffering as negative and to be avoided at all costs and in some sense as a sign of failure, this will add a sense of anxiety and intolerance when you encounter difficult circumstances, a feeling of being overwhelmed. But if you accept that suffering is a natural part of existence, this will help you withstand life’s adversities.”
~ Dalai Llama
“Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.”
~ Epictetus
“Man needs difficulties, they are necessary for health.”
~ Carl Jung
“A man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.”
~ Michel de Montaigne
"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials."
~ Seneca
“No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.”
~ Seneca
“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.”
~Seneca
There are moments of extreme sadness when you see so much suffering. But this should kindle your compassion, and if it kindles your compassion, you go to a stronger, healthier, more meaningful way of being.
You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.
You can feel sad if you see suffering, but sadness is not against a deep sense of eudaemonia,, it is not life negating because sadness goes with compassion, sadness goes with determination to remedy the cause. The causes of suffering are impermanent, and impermanence is what allows for change...becoming.
Pain is certain, however the negative perception of suffering is optional.
Resisting the pain increases its intensity…lean into it, breathe into it, become one with the pain.
All life is in constant transition, the pain and suffering will ebb.
Humans have an evolutionary need for challenge, no struggle means no progress.
The continuous pursuit of hard things cultivates a growth mindset with discomfort sharpening perspective and focus. Suffering is a learning experience.
Embracing calculated risks leads to greater happiness and success while building resilience.
Leaving our comfort zone enhances brain activity, learning, and prepares us to tackle future challenges productively.
Embracing hard things is not easy, but it is the struggle that builds valuable attributes like resilience, adaptability, and perseverance.
It's the struggle itself that is most important. We must strive to be more than we are.
Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.
It does not matter if we never reach our ultimate goal as the effort is autotelic, yielding its own rewards.
Unless we desire nothing, it seems that suffering is inevitable as suffering is caused by unfilled desire.
Even if desire is satiated, the hedonistic treadmill effect kicks in and a new desire is born.
Choosing not to desire doesn’t work as the desire to not desire is still desire.
Learn to love your suffering, aka your fate, as Sisyphus did and to laugh at destiny as Thomas Nagel recommended.
Life is like a lemon drop, we need to suck on the bitter to get to the sweet part.