During
these trying times, when the whole world is undergoing such unrelenting
suffering from the physical and economic ravages of COVID 19, it would seem appropriate
to search for meaning and reason for
suffering.
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
This profound and far-reaching observation was made by Friedrich Nietzsche, the great German philosopher and cultural critic, whose work continues to exert a major influence on modern thinking. He spent much of his life preoccupied with the origin and function of values in human life, believing that life itself neither lacks, nor possesses any intrinsic value, but that any value it acquires, is a reflection of the individual’s own attitudes. His ideas, especially in the areas of religion, philosophy and morality have deeply influenced, and continue to do so, for many generations of theologians, philosophers and psychologists.
The quotation captioned above is a reflection of his attitude toward human suffering, a subject that had occupied a great deal of his time. He wrote on it extensively, rejecting the concept of what he termed the ascetic ideals, where people were encouraged to believe that either accepting their suffering, or suffering in silence, made them stronger. Nietzsche instead, urged that our attitude toward suffering should be one in which we embrace it as part of our living, and rather than allowing it to destroy us by remaining silent, try to assume as much of the responsibility of understanding it as we can. He explained that all of life itself can be viewed as an on-going conflict between happiness and contentment on the one hand, and suffering and discontentment on the other. And insisted that since we live in a world where there is continuous conflict between those who choose one direction, and others who chose other directions, then clearly, we can all expect to feel some form of suffering from not achieving our hopes and desires.
He viewed the pain and regret that so often accompanies any type of suffering as much more the result of not understanding the meaning and the reasons for the feelings experienced, rather than from the impact of the loss itself. He insisted that the worry of having to live through any suffering without being fully aware of the true reasons, creates enormous uncertainties that will never be resolved. And that only when there is meaning present, can there be understanding, and then only by having understanding, can the value to any suffering become realistic and acceptable. Suffering therefore, will always have a value and be acceptable, when there is meaning. And alternatively, in the absence of any type of reason or meaning, it can be destructive. Because of this, he urged the importance of always searching for a meaning before arriving at conclusions, explaining:
“It was the meaninglessness of the suffering, not the suffering itself, that lays over mankind.”
Suffering is a universal human experience of unpleasantness and an aversion associated with a perception of harm, or possible harm in the individual. It obstructs thinking and prevents logical reasoning by inducing a solid wall confusion and a smokey veil of insecurity. This robs the individual of his own confidence, and buries his basic initiative with blankets of uncertainty. The highly regarded and very successful film producer George Lucas, in his blockbuster Star Wars series, was very insightful when he used his legendary humanoid Jedi master, Yoda, to declare:
“Fear is the path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.”
Suffering invariably gives rise to a variety of negative affective responses, including sorrow, fear, apathy and even anger, and by interfering with judgment and choice, prevents the victim from functioning at an efficient level. The feelings of impending hopelessness and fear associated with suffering, make up the fundamental elements that contribute to the negative responses that occur. So that the resulting suffering, when it is not being used as a stimulus to rise up, face the issue and conquer, will become a yoke that serves to enslave and destroy. The history of mankind overflows with examples of people who have unnecessarily suffered simply by abandoning hope, instead of trying to understand the reason why.
Throughout
the ages, man has continued to have great difficulty in understanding and
dealing with the problem of human suffering. He has failed to accept the fact
that suffering is not exclusive of, but an integral part of living, and must always
be managed appropriately. The fundamental psychodynamics are basically complex,
interrelated emotional responses that involve physical, mental and spiritual
components which cannot be easily measured or predicted. It is because of this
complexity, that suffering cannot be managed externally, but must be treated
from within. Rather than cower under its yoke, and then live in an atmosphere
of fear and agony, it is far better to learn and to understand the reason why
it happens, accept it without fear or trepidation, and then set about trying
to find a way out, or learning to accommodate it. This is perhaps what the
internationally recognized Japanese author Haruki Murakami tried to
convey when he noted:
“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
The philosophy of Existentialism, which gained substantial popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, considers meaning to be fundamental to the will to live. Contrary to the prevailing paradigm of materialism which placed purpose, intention and results ahead of meaning, existentialists look for understanding and reason to explain life. Suffering therefore, as an integral part of the will to live, has to have a meaning to be accepted and endured. Viktor Frankl, the Austrian neurologist and a Holocaust survivor, who survived several years of the horrors of imprisonment in Auschwitz during WW11, confirmed that his own survival from the inhumanity and extreme suffering at the concentration camps was directly related to the fact that he had reason to survive. He was convinced that far too many of the other prisoners died either from the atrocities they endured, or from suicide, or from just giving up their will to live. He concluded that however difficult the conditions might be, survival was dependent on finding a reason to live. It is only by doing so himself, that he was able to effectively find the confidence to deal with the unrelenting suffering.
It is long established that the manner in which any one will react to suffering, whether real or imagined, is directly influenced by the image the person has of how he is expected to react. Because of this then to achieve any success, there has to be something, such as a desire, an ideal, or a person other than ourselves, for which we can justify a purpose in order to endure the suffering. Without this, suffering becomes an empty phenomenon that cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. For many of us, guided by the fundamental ascetic ideals so popular among the current societies and religions, suffering was meant to be accepted as a test of our courage. Because of these beliefs, we often choose to continue to suffer as a reflection of our strength of character, and try to do whatever we can to “stand up” to the suffering. Other people, especially those with recessive personalities, will actually welcome the opportunity for suffering in order to show their mastery of the martyr syndrome, and in so doing, acknowledge their rewards. And again, there are others, guided by their masochistic instincts, will welcome and derive pleasure from suffering, as they blame the rest of the world for it.
To all these people, suffering is acknowledged as a tolerable, and even desirable, asset. Some people, guided by feelings of self-guilt, will quietly submit to suffering as a form of self-induced punishment for their wrong doing, and suffer in silence, or wait for a hoped-for reprieve. They try to hide their suffering by blaming others, or by the use of drugs and/or alcohol to dull, if not conceal, their pain. The problem with all these approaches is that any useful and positive response is usually short-lived, and inevitably leads to further loss of control. As a result, they often end up wallowing in recurrent bouts of anxiety, depression and decompensation, and spending the rest of their lives locked in on-going PTSD type cycles of suffering.
There is another, more natural and more efficient way of coping with the problem of suffering that is far more rewarding and more helpful to the individual’s peace of mind. The principle has been recognized and used for thousands of years and has been the mainstay of the ancient Chinese and the Eastern cultures since then. The Buddhists accepted suffering as part of life, and taught that we will successfully deal with our suffering only when we are able to accept our imperfections, let go of our past, and try to live in the present. When we try to just cope with the suffering alone, we will only achieve temporary distraction rather than resolution. It is only when we deliberately make the effort to understand the reasons, then acknowledge and embrace them, can there be any hope of healing or correcting.
Carl Jung, the great Austrian psychoanalyst, for whom I have the highest regard, expressed his views on suffering in the following manner:
“Man has always had to cope with the problem of suffering. The Oriental tries to get rid of suffering by casting it off. The Western man tries to suppress it with drugs. But suffering has to be overcome, and the only way to overcome it is to endure it. We learn that only from him (Jesus Christ).”
He wisely chose perhaps the finest example of coping with suffering that has ever occurred, one from which all mankind can learn. Despite the great depth of suffering endured by Jesus Christ, he never flinched, because he understood and accepted the reason for the suffering. There was a reason and a purpose for the pain and the inhuman atrocities he underwent, and because he understood the meaning and the message they meant to convey, he accepted the suffering and the pain without any regret. As Jung so rightly concluded, Jesus Christ, the human being, is never remembered for the suffering he endured, but for the glorious way he survived through it.
Therein lays the true meaning of human suffering. It must never be viewed as merely punishment for wrongs, but rather as an integral part of living. Suffering and adversity has existed as long as man himself has walked this earth. In many ways, suffering is a link that connects his current fate with those who predeceased him, and those yet to come. And even in the day-to-day living, it is often by experiencing the pain of suffering can we appreciate the joys and happiness of the present. It forces us to discern the true value of doing things right, and to recognize our needs and weaknesses. And it is only by knowing the value of suffering and pain, can we truly appreciate the moments of contentment and comfort, and the steps we must undertake to keep them. And again there are many instances where paradoxically, suffering occurs in settings considered worthwhile, can in fact give rise to great happiness and fulfillment.
The history of mankind abounds with examples extreme suffering, ranging from people of faith of all the religions and political leaders, and in a variety of routine, day-to-day encounters. All of these people were able to find their strengths and purpose in their suffering. Even when the pain was intolerable, and the suffering unbearable, they exhibited the tenacity that could only be explained by finding and accepting a reason. In many ways the suffering experienced by a woman in the depth of labor, or a patient under siege of illness, or a soldier in the midst of battle, or from the loss of a loved one, or from the countless numbers of situations that will occur to anyone of us at any time in our lives, although qualitatively different, are all quantitatively equal. It is never the pain, however extreme, that gives rise to the severity of the suffering, but it is the unwillingness or inability to engage and accept it, that renders it intolerable. It is this type of response that led Viktor Frankl to desperately conclude:
“Suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind, no matter whether the suffering is great or little.”
-Without question, there are countless situations occurring during our lifetime which can give rise to pain and suffering that may or may not be under our control. While we cannot avoid the pain, we can indeed control how much we suffer from the experience.
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