SOURCES AND DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN SUFFERING

                                            " ALL THINGS ARISE AND PASS AWAY"

                                                                           --- Buddha

The above quote from Buddha though sounds very simple, yet it is very profound. It is telling us how to face and react to suffering. 

Sufferings are an integral part of human life which comes and goes cyclically alternating with periods of pleasure. This is the balance that happens through a natural process during our lifetime.  But to understand this unpleasant and unwelcome aspect of our life, we need to first know exactly what it is actually. Let me define it in a general simple term.

“Suffering is that affliction which impacts the body or mind or both simultaneously that is caused by innumerable factors which could be from within our body or from  external factors that may be things; events; people or ideas.”

No human being is inherently adaptive to suffering in any form or from any source. But there is wisdom  in accepting the inevitable reality that suffering is a part of human life and so acceptance of the same with fortitude is the only way forward. For a wise person, adaptation comes sooner than an average normal person because he is always aware of the unpleasant inevitabilities of life. The sooner this fact is realised by a normal person the sooner he recovers from the shock of it.

But to have a better understanding in some depth, the issue of human suffering we need to go into the details of various sources that cause this affliction.

Broadly speaking the sources are as follows.

A.   A.  From own body and mind.

B.    B. From the outside world that is beyond our control.

C.   C. Time, past present and future.

D.    D. Natural calamities.

 

A.    From own body and mind.

This can be further classified into two sub-sources, as follows.

                             i.          From mental misbalances in the absence of physical ailments.

                           ii.           Mental impact originating from physical ailments.

 

                            i.          From mental misbalances in the absence of physical ailments

When mental issues occur (in the absence of any physical problem) the reason can be from an external source due to certain unexpected and unpleasant events over which he may or may not have had any control to avert it. The other dimension of it could be due to some  imagination of an untoward event which may or may not at all have any probability of occurrence. These are illusory manifestations in the mind without anything to do with the reality of the situation. And hence absolutely baseless. Such people need to undergo psychiatric treatment.

                           ii.          Mental impact originating from physical ailments.

However physical ailments are more often the potent source that causes a mental impact and brings suffering which manifests externally as visible symptoms that deserve medical attention.  A more emotional person is more often mentally more fragile and hence is more affected. Conversely, an emotionally stable person is less impacted because of his higher level of mental strength achieved thru enhancing his level of tolerance to the impact of the physical ailment.

 

B.    From the outside world that is beyond the control

This is the biggest source from which suffering could come. That could be from a near and dear person (a relation), a friend, society at large or the professional world. And the reason could be due to innumerable reasons and situations. And when there is no way to change or avert the situation i.e. it is beyond the control, the way to handle them is best stated in the below-given quote  

 

 WHEN WE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO CHANGE A SITUATION

 WE ARE CHALLENGED TO CHANGE OURSELVES.

-          Viktor Frankl.

In the above quote, by the words " Challenged to change " the author means, that what matters in such a situation "Is our reaction".

C.    Time, past and future

Time is nature's parameter that eternally flows in the forward direction. And this has three fundamental attributes that impact all creatures on earth, the past, present and future.

And this has special importance for the human beings, as for them, everything in life is related to what has happened, happenings or would happen. The present is the most valuable aspect since that is in our control to utilise and manage it to the best of our abilities. The future has not yet come and so is also not in his hand and is full of uncertainties. Hence except for the present, the other two are not in our control. Suffering in the present most often comes from unpleasant memories of past events or past actions. 

 

D.    Natural calamities

Nature is all-powerful and has a pattern of the way it operates, that causes a change of season that has an enormous impact on all living creatures on earth. Man is dependent on nature and never the reverse. At certain times the vagaries of nature cause calamities like floods, earthquakes and hurricanes that cause unimaginable devastation of life and property. And these are events over which humanity has no control. They bring too much suffering to mankind

  But, how should we react to every type of  situation (pleasant and unpleasant) is best presented in the video clip in the link which is given below.

How "YOU WILL NEVER FEEL SAD IN HARD TIMES "  i.e. in suffering.