Is a life full of suffering well lived?

[Bobby_2021]

What makes suffering at all good or bad in your life?

Do you value suffering. Why or why not? 

Thoughts please.

[Yimpa]

Very cool using the poll function! I think you should also vote :-p

I would say I experience suffering, but more consciously these days. Like, I want to explore what causes me to feel like crap rather than blame others or avoid taking responsibility for how I feel.

[Salvijus]

Perhaps it's not the lack of suffering that makes life worthwhile. But the amount you've been able to transfer misery into light that matters. 

But who knows. Life is weird. 

Edited April 9, 2024 by Salvijus

[Nemra]

I value the suffering that I am not or don't seem to be in control of because it gives me the opportunity to creatively solve and/or understand it, as I know that no one can do it for me, even if others have an impact on it.

I don't value the suffering that makes me think that life is only about suffering, which still has value for first-timers. When you go through it, it seems that it's a state that you can't change and that you don't like. But really, you haven't accepted the suffering and aren't really trying to solve it, but you are pretending that you do. The solution would be to accept it and move on.

Edited April 9, 2024 by Nemra

[k-ahmadzadeh]

In theory, suffering is inherently bad in a sense that we, as rational and healthy minded humans, would ideally choose not to suffer. 

I would also say that there is no need to romanticise suffering which can gradually devastate your life completely in its high levels. 

[Bobby_2021]

2 hours ago, Yimpa said:

Very cool using the poll function! I think you should also vote :-p

I would say I experience suffering, but more consciously these days. Like, I want to explore what causes me to feel like crap rather than blame others or avoid taking responsibility for how I feel.

My suffering is as high as ever nowadays. There seems to be no stopping it. 

2 hours ago, Salvijus said:

But the amount you've been able to transfer misery into light that matters. 

This is effectively suffering. Is it a valuable life to you, if you are suffering your whole life, but creating light out of it. 

I think so yes, 

2 hours ago, Nemra said:

I don't value the suffering that makes me think that life is only about suffering, which still has value for first-timers

Suffering that makes you think, especially about suffering, usually creates vastly more suffering. 

1 hour ago, k-ahmadzadeh said:

I would also say that there is no need to romanticise suffering which can gradually devastate your life completely in its high levels. 

I absolutely hate romanticizing suffering like a lot of people do. I just do not see the point. 

But if you have to live with it, perhaps it is not a bad idea to romanticize it. You have to live with it anyway.

[Schizophonia]

In général, during my whole life, or now ?

[Bobby_2021]

28 minutes ago, Schizophonia said:

In général, during my whole life, or now ?

Whichever is more.😄

[Schizophonia]

1 minute ago, Bobby_2021 said:

Whichever is more.😄

It's pretty hard to quantify. 🤔

Pretty sure that it will above all say who here likes to identify themselves as being the victim who has been broken, humiliated etc lol.

 

[Bobby_2021]

10 hours ago, Schizophonia said:

It's pretty hard to quantify. 🤔

Pretty sure that it will above all say who here likes to identify themselves as being the victim who has been broken, humiliated etc lol.

 

Are you suffering more now than you used to? I assume yes. 

[Schizophonia]

7 hours ago, Bobby_2021 said:

Are you suffering more now than you used to? I assume yes. 

Why ? 

No, overall much less. 👍

[Bobby_2021]

36 minutes ago, Schizophonia said:

Why ? 

No, overall much less. 👍

A random guess.

[Ulax]

I think going through a period of serious suffering can provide a level of depth and humility to a person. However, if it goes on too long then the value really fades.

[Schizophonia]

35 minutes ago, Ulax said:

I think going through a period of serious suffering can provide a level of depth and humility to a person. However, if it goes on too long then the value really fades.

No, it's cope.
Trauma most of the time makes people crazy, not "humble".

 

Or we don't live in the same universe 👀

[Ulax]

@Schizophonia Hence, why I said 'period' and 'can'. I meant to imply that it can be the case that for a person that overcomes the suffering. 

[Schizophonia]

3 minutes ago, Ulax said:

@Schizophonia Hence, why I said 'period' and 'can'. I meant to imply that it can be the case that for a person that overcomes the suffering. 

Got it 

I don't like this idea that suffering is a passage towards emotional "maturity".
It doesn't seem true in most cases, which is what I meant.

[Ulax]

@Schizophonia I get you. Also, thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify.

[Bobby_2021]

1 hour ago, Ulax said:

I think going through a period of serious suffering can provide a level of depth and humility to a person. However, if it goes on too long then the value really fades.

Strongly agree.

[Javfly33]

On 09/04/2024 at 7:00 PM, Salvijus said:

Perhaps it's not the lack of suffering that makes life worthwhile. But the amount you've been able to transfer misery into light that matters. 

But who knows. Life is weird. 

That´s a good insight.

Recently i feel is not about not having pain or suffering, but your relation with it.

If you don´t fight it is information, if you are able to face and see this information as what it is, you can dissolve it/transform it.

Physical pain is another matter, but psychological? A lot can be done to transform 'misery into light' as you say.

[Bobby_2021]

Suffering is unavoidable. Better suffer for something you value. In that case you feel like the suffering was justified.