Suffering will always bare the stigma of exposure to bad or unpleasant things. Even though human beings, when victorious, can emerged stronger our of suffering, there is always the risk of succumbing to it and facing destruction or negative transformation that will surely translate into suffering redirected towards others.

You talk to a kid in the streets (beggars, junkies, dropouts, mentally insane) and they all share the feeling that their condition was caused by unnecessary and excessive suffering. We always look up to the successful story of that person who survived violence, abandonment, drugs, or crime; but for every story of success there must be double the number of stories of defeat and perdition.

Suffering, like food or anything we may be subjected to, must be tolerable, or else the remedy is worse than the disease. We tend to think that whatever we get (in the form of bad times, punishments, or any other charismatic name we may give it) is part of a plan and god will not send us something we cannot handle. Well, I think that empirical evidence proves otherwise. Many people cannot handle suffering, at least not in the doses administered by divine providence.

No father would punish a child beyond their physical capacity. No parent would subject their child to physical or psychological hardship beyond their dues. We know life is not a bed of roses and hardships (that do not kill us) are supposed to make us stronger. But, everything in excess is detrimental to human physical and spiritual health. We are seriously limited physically and psychologically, regardless of what motivational speakers or religious leaders may say.

Again, the stories of survival to extreme circumstances are the exception to the rule, and that’s why we value them so much, because they are extraordinary and make us dream with the possibility of doing extraordinary things. But ask the person who survived an earthquake under the rubbles and debris what exactly they did to deserve the blessing of their survival (when compared to those who having been trapped under the same debris did not make it) or what special measures they took to avoid being killed by the earthquake and all of them will say they do not know. It was just divine providence. We can call it randomness too.

The things is that if we accept that maybe people need some suffering in order for them to be stronger and better equipped to face life’s challenges, we may naturalize suffering as something normal and desirable, when in fact it is all the opposite. Humans are wired to avoid suffering at all costs. That is why we feel so appalled when someone seems to self-inflict punishment (consciously or unconsciously). We may train and minds and bodies to better face hardships or physical trials when they come, but we should be careful not to assume that we can leave someone exposed to suffering somemore, just because it will do that someone some good.

RE: Musing Posts