We are all suffering and it’s okay!
Have you ever asked yourself the question why is everything so messed up? If you haven’t, well, then I’m both curious and envious of you. I’ve asked this question to myself so many times that it seems impossible for me to think of a person who doesn’t think that there is a problem with our existence at its core.
According to Abrahamic religions, it is our own fault that we ended up in this world. Our ancestors, Adam and Eve, were living peacefully together until they were tricked by the Devil himself to eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge. I mean why would anyone eat that damn fruit when you were dictated not to do so?
These were my ordinary thoughts months ago. However, I came to the conclusion that I would have done the same. Everything would be meaningless if there wasn’t any suffering or something to get anxious about. So, why wouldn’t I eat that fruit if it will mean that I will finally be able to know what is good and bad? I can’t enjoy the good if I don’t know the bad right? Consciousness not only brings suffering but also brings the mental capacity to understand what is good or bad.
The world is all about suffering, we will all suffer. We will all get anxious about something. We’ll cry and be so sad that we won’t even be able to think straight. However, these are all okay. We aren’t here to live our lives like maniacs that only think about pleasing themselves endlessly but are incapacitated to do so. Our desires can’t be satisfied whatever we do. If we got a billion dollars from the sky right now, we would probably desire one billion dollars more and you won’t believe me but, that’s okay as well.
We have evolved from reptilians. So, everybody has their primitive side with themselves. However, we have something that reptilians don’t have which is reason itself. We can think, reason, and even understand others. We can even understand ourselves and accept our flaws to live with them. You may be the most corrupt person alive on Earth today but it really doesn’t matter as long as you have reason to think about your actions and desire to correct yourself. Everybody is corrupt but the difference is some of us know it.
Are you suffering? Congratulations! You are a reasonable human being. If you have the capacity to suffer, then you have the capacity to feel happy as well. As Milton said in his wondrous work Paradise Lost “ the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven..”. There is no problem with suffering, the problem is not knowing that everything whether good or bad shall pass. So, why wouldn’t we strive to have more “good”s than “bad”s?
Don’t aim to be a person who stays in their comfort zone to avoid suffering and anxiety. Be the person whom you are supposed to be, the best version of yourself.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
