SUFFERING

Let's look at what we learned so far:

We started out defining life as self actualization and a learning experience.
We discussed the need for a healthy body, mind and spirit, for actualization in these levels.
We addressed disability as the inability to live a self actualizing life, and as the consequence of various factors some of which are beyond our control, while others are.
We discussed pain as the impact of trauma, misery, and hardship intended to protect us and give us a learning experience, however, often leading to debilitating anguish where we do not learn to cope.

It seems we have built a perspective with the following driving forces:

self actualization i.e. growing, developing ourselves, while overcoming adversity in a hostile world
learning to cope with adversity
anguish when unable to cope with adversity
the source of our adversity

Who said: "Suffering is caused by God to make us learn from our Karma"? Yes, I may have said it, but should I not have rephrased that saying: "Suffering is caused by our fellow man to hurt us and destroy us, while we are praying to God that we may survive".? Maybe both are true. Maybe suffering is to teach us to be more compassionate to stop killing and hurting eachother, but instead to work toward survival of the human race. Suffering is experiencing the anguish, the pain, the disability and the hopelessness.
If we have the spirit, resilience, and self confidence to counter the anguish and use our mind to gain insight in the situation, we may learn to cope, we may liberate ourselves of the debilitating circumstances.

Suffering is at the root of learning. Learning is the object of suffering. Learning can set us free and help us attain the self actualization we are yearning for.

Suffering is not the objective, but the motivational driver to learning and self actualization.

Suffering leads to learning, which leads to living life to the fullest. Using our mind and spirit to learn is the truly human experience. Even lower living organisms learn and evolve. We can do it much faster. If we learn to learn from our suffering, we will improve our Quality of Life.

Now, metaphorically speaking, you can either identify with the Dragon or with the Dragon slayer. Take your pick:
The Chinese view:
"We all are Dragons, somewhat like the like the fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex, blowing fire at our hostile environment."
Or the mediaeval European view:
"We are Dragon slayers, continuously trying to slay our hostile environment, the Dragon."
Personally, I vote for being the Dragon.

Back to where we left off in QOL, 'Action toward Improving The Quality of Life

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