Wie viel ist aufzuleiden! (How much suffering there is to get through!)” These lines by Rillke highlight a painful truth about of life. It is impossible to avoid suffering, even the ones who live too carefully in order to protect themselves from life’s suffering , suffer from the anxiety of impending death.
Your vacation on this planet comes with a distinct set of sufferings that you have to go through irrespective of who you are. As life slowly reveals its true colors to you, you find out that there is more to it than the cartoons, a fragment which you never account for as a child, and out of nowhere you find yourselves in soups you had never imagined.
There is no king, no beggar, no monk, no murderer who can escape suffering. Suffering is omnipresent, like the air we breathe, the water we drink, the happiness we relish and the love we share. You might run and hide from it, but you will ultimately have to suffer the quota dedicated to you in order to learn your lessons and find your meaning.
The education associated with both the mental and physical suffering is a vital component for an individual trespassing this planet. With this being said it becomes vital as to how you react to suffering.
Willing yourself on
Yes most people think that they are targets for mystical forces playing paint ball. They are so overawed by the slightest of sufferings that they lose their head, forgetting the generic nature of suffering.
Yes there is some honor in suffering, you can either become a rebel , making life difficult for people around you, or accept your share of sorrow and move on.
It is essential to accept the struggles, sadness, sorrow and suffering as you enjoy the ecstasy, enjoyment, excitement and entertainment that life has to offer. Once you learn to accept this reality you learn to accommodate instead of questioning it, bear the pain rather than complain.
Share the load, life’s burdens will appear lighter
Once you have stopped questioning as to why one suffers, you will start looking for ways to adapt to the suffering.
As an individual you have to find a why to bear the pain, to survive the storms, it can be a solitary purpose, an ambition or a relationship, family and friends. Once you find a why you will survive anyhow.
But usually people look for external supports and end up overcompensating in order to avoid suffering. This is the reason several religious offices are running idol worship centers like corporate houses.
A better way to do this is by sharing each others burden irrespective of status, class and religion. When suffering is common to all then people should unite and share the load as a whole, irrespective of man made socioeconomic differences.
Understanding the rules of the cosmos to your advantage
There are certain absolutes of this universe which we cant fight, only accept and adapt to. Suffering being one of them has to be treated similarly.
The earlier you accept these laws f the universe the faster you can adapt and save yourself from falling into stress and depression. Learn to embrace the suffering just like you embrace the pleasures. Life is bitter sweet.