What is effort?

[AlphaAbundance]

What is effort? Is exerting effort suffering?

[Jack River]

I use the term effort in reference to subject/object divison. 

Example: I am angry, I should not be angry. I move away from the fact of anger to the abstraction of its apparent opposite. 

This all being based on a presumption that me (Subject) am essentially distinct from objects of experience. 

This apparent subject/object division feeds on effort/control. 

[Jack River]

People use the term effort differently. It’s a good question/thread to see how people interpret the term.  

[TheAvatarState]

Effort, n. -

1. exertion of physical or mental power: It will take great effort to achieve victory.

2. an earnest or strenuous attempt: an effort to keep to the schedule.

3. something done by exertion or hard work: I thought it would be easy, but it was an effort.

4. an achievement, as in literature or art: The painting is one of his finest efforts.

5. the amount of exertion expended for a specified purpose: the war effort.

 

Now the dictionary definition of "suffer" is not quite right, not nuanced. It says "to undergo or feel pain or distress." Suffering is actually distinct from pain, in that it's the level to which you experience and identify with negative emotions. Psychological time is a big component. So pain can cause an unconscious person to experience suffering, but they are not the same thing. It is possible to experience pain but not suffering, but this is not a possibility that is considered by the western community. It is even possible, and actually really common, to experience much suffering with little to no outside influence of pain. This is especially true in rich countries: cushy life, dying on the inside. 

So it is possible to exert effort without suffering. The best way to do this is to make sure your effort is alignigned with your life purpose and values. And it is also possible to suffer greatly without any exerted effort (actually it takes great mental effort to suffer, but that's mostly subconsciously). These two tend to be kind of related, but are not dependant at all. 

[Jack River]

Effort is a practical tool. 

Psychologically is where it causes problems. Effort has its place psychologically in the sense that we can learn through direct observation of its movement/process, as does suffering/conflict. 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Jack River