The Meaning of Suffering
With suffering comes change.
My friend Tom Baeli, a Tai Chi master and I recently discussed whether there is meaning in suffering. We exchanged ideas about the words of the ancient Chinese Master, Mencius: "When great responsibility is about to befall one, life appears to confound all undertakings. Thereby it stimulates the mind, toughens the nature and improves all deficiencies."
Unlike a deity, whimsically deciding to test our endurance, Taoism teaches one to follow the evolutionary thrust of life that is simply seeking the best of what it might be. Appreciating nature's tremendous power to renew itself, we discover that this same power is within us. Suffering is the distance we travel from allowing ourselves to be renewed.
He offered the following quotes: "Those who have suffered know much which is denied to the continuously healthy: and those who have been exalted - have realized truths which are out of the reach of those who lead quiet, equable lives." Finding peace in quiet is an illusion. Nature is relentless in its movement for regeneration.
"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." It reminds me of Kahlil Gibran's poem about Love: "But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears." With suffering comes real satisfaction.
A forest fire burns away old growth to prepare for the new. The same pollution that causes ocean temperatures to rise is often washed away in the very hurricanes that are generated.
One country blames another for the woes they face. Yet, volatility is the reverberation of injustices that can no longer be hidden away. Suffering brings forward the truth and a new perspective.
Black Elk would say: "You have noticed that truth comes into this world with two faces. One is sad with suffering, and the other laughs; but it is the same face, laughing or weeping. When people are already in despair, maybe the laughing is better for them; and when they feel too good and are too sure of being safe, maybe the weeping face is better." Laughter, tears, the pursuit of change always breaks our defenses to remind us that we are natural creatures in a natural world.
To believe that we can withstand the forces of change is what leads to our suffering. It is better to follow where the changes may lead us. Those who defend freedom the most vigorously are often unwittingly restricting the liberties of others. Because we cannot understand the profound dynamics leading life to evolve, it is better to emulate nature's ways during Autumn, and turn back to be renewed.
It does seem that the closer we are too success, the more we feel the weight of what is honing our strength. "When great responsibility is about to befall one, life appears to confound all undertakings. Thereby it stimulates the mind, toughens the nature and improves all deficiencies." Making peace with the changes and learning to follow the special nuances of our journey, we awaken into a world that always meets us half way. The other half of the journey allows us to reach within and discover what we are capable of. It sometimes takes walking through the darkness to discover one's inner light. Trust that the way is unfolding to lead you to success.
