Suffering in the world
**Jason's note. I don't have all the answers. In my view and opinion neither does any one Spirit. Because "we" are never done evolving and experiencing all that is. That is because we create our own truth. I don't claim to understand pain, suffering or what is wrong with the world. But talking about it in an open mindful way can help. I feel indebted to everyone who is willing to share their views and experiences. My life is enriched by their voice. Love and light.
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On the Nature of Suffering:
Questions:
why is there so much pain and suffering in the world. Why is there suicide, why is there such heart ache. How could someone do this or that to another person, animal, environment, world? Why is there evil in the world. Why did they leave me? Life is so unfair. I am so scared of dying. How could God do or not do this or that? Why? What does all this mean? How could anyone choose to go through a life like this or that?
No matter what anyone says or does; Nothing can make me feel better or take away my pain and I resent and am angry with anyone that would tell me otherwise. I don't want to hear what you have to say, because I am right and your wrong.
Response:
Tell me more about how you feel? What do you want to do about the way you feel? Do you really and truly want answers to your questions? If you follow this path of questioning it will be one of the hardest things you will ever do. You might not be successful or be able to find resolution. It might be a defining moment in your entire existence. Any response you give and feel is who you are right now. And this is ok. It is where you are at. But, I would ask you next; where do you want to go from here? And how will you get there? Are you willing to keep trying even after falling down? Will you ask for help or try to go it alone? Do you want to decide how this happens or do you want someone else to tell you?
Do you view suffering as punishment? Do you view it in association with your religious beliefs and culture? Does how you were raised play into it? How do these influence your experience. Suffering can be one of life's greatest unknowns, a mystery. Some see it as a purification, a path to spirituality, a way to understand pain. Why would we want to do that? Why why why? Well there must be a reason? Someone must know. Tell me know. Why is there not THE answer? Well if someone' had that answer wouldn't everyone know by now? Why isn't the answer out there? Are you upset with other ideas of divinity and it's behaviors? What does this say about your journey? What does this say about others? How do you see yourself in others suffering? Does this change how you will live your life? What will you do about their suffering? This will never explain suffering but it can help us place ourselves within our experiences.
My only thought to this; is that if the answer isn't out there... If someone else doesn't have the answer... then the answer must be within me. I might need to discover the answer myself. Because everyone is unique. Everyone's journey is different. There must be a reason for that.
Will suffering allow you to experience yourself and others in a certain way? WHY?! What if I don't want to? What if what I hear and discover doesn't make sense? Why can't anyone else make sense? Why? How would you like it to make sense? What would you like to do about this? How would you like to feel? Right now? what do you want to do? Is there anything you can do to get you going? Will you ask for help and keep going? Why? or why not? Do you want that choice?
Others suffering can never be yours. Nor will they ever be. Ultimately Every person must find the path to enlightenment and awareness. And they must also navigate their way through perspective and belief on pain and suffering. Platitudes will never help. But that doesn't mean you have to travel your journey alone. You only need to open your eyes and reach out for help and you can find it. You simply have to want it.
You wish to know where God is? The divine, no matter what you believe is in you. Now. Find a way to manifest it. Are you divine? Does it shine through you? Do you want it to? Why? Are you able to confront your pain and loss?
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Earth's history is littered with spiritual guides. Here are some of my favorite quotes, statements, and thoughts on our place in this world. : (rough quotes)
How many of us can hold to desires, concepts, and ideals such as these when we are in pain, agony, and in the pit of despair. And why would we want to? Why is the question we must be brave enough to face despite of suffering.
Quotes on Suffering and Reactions to it and the world we live in:
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--Jesus-- comes upon a man who had been blind since birth
His disciples ask him, "who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus replies, "It was not this man who sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him."
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--The Buddha--
The 1st kind of suffering due to painful feeling, mental & bodily,
The 2nd suffering comes when pleasurable constructions fall apart.
The 3rd suffering is when a something changes and decays.
The Third Noble Truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness attained. This is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truths because in it the Buddha reassures us that true happiness and contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time, enjoying without restless wanting the experiences that life offers us, patiently enduring the problems that life involves without fear, hatred and anger, then we become happy and free. Then, and only then, do we being to live fully. Because we are no longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find we have so much time to help others fulfill their needs. This state is called Nirvana. We are free from all psychological suffering as well. This is called Final Nirvana.
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--The Dali Lama--
One philosophical view is not sufficient, he explained. To some people, a certain view is more useful, while to others a different view is more useful. One religious tradition in a world of six billion people is not enough, he said.
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--Meher Baba--
On the individual level, Great suffering awakens great understanding. Supreme suffering fulfills its purpose and yields its true significance when it awakens exhausted humanity and stirs within it a genuine longing for real understanding. Unprecedented suffering leads to unprecedented spiritual growth. It contributes to the construction of life on the unshakable foundation of the Truth. It allows you to make a shift in mind and heart that leads to spiritual growth. This is a turning to mankind's higher self and the divinity that exists within ones self? How will you manifest this? It is the few who recognize their bounty in the form of suffering and agony which gives birth to a deeper love and understanding and teaches us to accept themselves without any compromise.
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– Mother Teresa--
It is not enough for us to say: ‘I love God,’ but I also have to love my neighbor. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is not true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.”
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--Eleanor Roosevelt--
“I think it is essential that you should teach your child that he has an intellectual and spiritual obligation to decide for himself what he thinks and not to allow himself to accept what comes from others without putting it through his own reasoning process.”
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. "
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--My Spirit Teacher and Mentor, Zennia--
I wish to address your many concerns and I wish also to address your questions. I will begin by explaining to you the variances that exist in your world which are composed of good and evil. Allow me to explain to you that this represents the harmonious and inharmonious balance of all that exists in the universe. You cannot have your spring without your fall, your winter without summer anymore than you can have the variances of their weather. And just the same you cannot expect to experience right without wrong, cold without hot, up without down, etc. Everything that exists has its complete polar opposite including everything that exists upon the face of your earthly planet as well as what exists above it.
Perhaps you have been mislead in your understanding of what it means when one says that the universe is expressing itself in terms of how that relates to the existence of a God and what that existence equates to. Please allow me to put this matter in its proper perspective. The universe expresses itself in the most amazing ways. When you look above you there is the evidence of a law and order that maintains everything you see in your observable universe as well as what you don’t see in your unobservable universe in a complete state of perfection. No human entity ever has to give thought to how to keep the sun on it revolutionary path or how to keep balance and harmony among the planetary systems no more than any human need give thought to how the seasons can come and go such as they do.
Now the issue of God and the existence of God is a whole other matter and will require a more lengthy discussion for your benefit. You see there is no God such as the one you have been taught to believe exists. At the very core of the universe is consciousness and from this ‘One’consciousness came forth everything that exists on every plane and every realm and every dimension. This One, the ‘All That Is’is assuredly not a Deity such as you know (it, Him) to be but is the origin of every reality in terms of consciousness and matter. You see there is absolutely no way for matter to destroy itself nor can anyone destroy matter but matter is perfectly capable of creating and recreating infinite aspects of itself and these infinite aspects take on their own characteristics suitable to the environment in which they exist in such as yourself. You are in every sense of the word created in the very likeness of this One Consciousness, you are aware of yourself no different than anything or anyone else is aware of itself relevant to its need in its environment.
Now in regard to the matter of sorrow, pain, inflictions, disease, war, poverty –these being the core of your most primary concerns especially those who are abused by their own kind. Allow me then to describe to you that I truly appreciate your heartwarming and loving concerns while at the same time also allow me to assist you in putting them in their proper perspective. To put these matters in their proper perspective is to spend significant time describing to you the nature of true reality on the physical plane so please bear with me as I go into a great deal of necessary detail as this is not something you can piece together from the outside but must be pieced together from the inside.
I must begin by first describing to you that from this One Consciousness life beings became, they are of many varieties and types nearly infinite in their numbers. Their one purpose or need for existence is to exist in the capacity in which they have been placed or have chosen to go to for an intended purpose but never does this intended purpose include the kinds of experiences you have presented. No living being on any plane of reality ever exists for the purpose of harming others, to do so is a direct violation of the natural laws of the universe. This type of behavior is unacceptable and not tolerated on any realm on any plane of existence. The universe will always find a way to maintain its Yin and Yang balance.
However, that is not to say that there can be no learning experiences as the result of such experiences as such experiences become the Yin and Yang. In other words you can experience something horrific in your own personal experience but from that experience you can grow into someone who becomes a beacon of light or a source of encouragement to others having similar experiences. Those of you who have had such unfortunate experiences can overcome the debilitating affects; it is you who choose to do so. What I am saying is that no one ever has to live in a perpetual state of victimization unless they choose by their own efforts to remain in such bondage. There is no bondage that cannot be loosed and furthermore such loosing is not dependent on some religious teacher but is dependent on one’s own will and determination. In all cases the reality you each manifest will always be a perfect reflection of what beliefs you hold fast too so if you believe the erroneous thought, once a victim, always a victim, then such will be your lot in life and of course the opposite is quite true too.
Now, when beings move about as they do so frequently, it is for the purpose of experiencing all the many aspects of livingness but not for the sake of violence and abuse as you have expressed. These types of unfortunate and undesirable experiences are only limited to the physical plane and only by those whose forceful powers exceed your own. No one should be exposed to such horrors in any life experience. The truth is that it is actually a normal part of your societies, right or wrong, good or bad and the reason is that there are many among you who have been mislead by a number of influencing factors. Some of these influencing factors relate to your various politics, some your religions, some your own personal philosophies as well as your own personal beliefs. How you all perceive your individual and collective selves are unique but nonetheless, it is a contributing problem. You tend to have very narrow-minded perceptions as if you are all incapable of thinking below the surface of your mind. So, you see there are many factors of which we have touched but on just a few of them as they are nearly infinite in number themselves.
On the nature of those who are abusive to those who are defenseless? This is a most unfortunate situation that exists here on your earthly plane only. I can assure you that this is not the norm as you say in your language but is the complete opposite nor are these behaviors in any way related to a Deity responsible for such behaviors nor does any individual chose to have such experiences while on the physical plane. There are many parameters beings set forth before they actually have their physical experience. In doing so they set up signposts as reminders so they don’t forget why they have come to the physical plane. In addition they also invite others in their social circles to participate in each other’s experience so they set up all different relationships. Do to the progression of individual human souls, many have not evolved enough and have little or no memory about why you have your presence on the physical plane. This so often creates a great deal of anxiety and nervousness which contributes too many other unexplained anomalies.
By now you are probably wondering how this all fits into your most primary concerns. I hope by now you can begin to see a foundation of information beginning to build up on your behalf. But now I must answer your questions directly. Why are innocent people harmed, sometimes brutally harmed regardless of age whether that occurs on an individual basis or on a collective basis. You must understand that people have their own agendas that are based on their very own views and opinions which of course they build upon from their very own system of beliefs further enforced by their own perceptions. However, there exists an extenuating factor that as of yet I have not discussed which now I will and which should serve to answer all your questions, thus putting your mind at ease.
While certain sects of humans are law abiding citizens as you well know there are also sects of humans that defy not only the laws of society but the laws of livingness. What I mean is that they are twisted and distorted in their thinking, they are filled with erroneous beliefs and inaccurate perceptions and furthermore they wish to inflict their philosophies, views, and opinions on their fellow mankind. This is most unfortunate and many have to suffer as the result. This is a human condition that has been going on since the time that man forgot his place in the whole of the universe foolishly believing there would be no consequences or worse yet that there would be rewards in the afterlife for such experiences. There are many other factors involved that actually are too complex and complicated to describe as these have much to do with the mental condition of certain individuals. But the one thing I do want to assure you of is that no one individual ever sets out to have an abusive experience and if or should anyone try to tell you otherwise know that you are being deceived.
Now, there are certain truths that must be told about the nature of experience. I begin first by describing that the whole purpose of experience is for it to not only be a learning benefactor but for it to be pleasurable. There are no beings who say “I shall have a physical life experience so that I can be molested, raped, abused, violated in some manner, murdered, etc. etc. All these situations exist only on the physical plane in the physical minds of the beholder intending to act on in these violent manners. Typically, no one comes intending to become such a deranged persona but unfortunately something occurs during their physical experience that causes an internal ‘snap’on the mental plane in which they become intended to inflict pain or hardship upon someone or a group accordingly either to make their voice heard or to settle some perceived score, as an example.
Experience is just that –it is to be experienced in its fullest and it is meant to assist the whole of the race in terms of its evolutionary progress. Now, some of these positions require a great deal of intellectualization whereas others require a great deal of courage and strength simply because there are so many variations of the human needs. I am sorry to say that although war is horrific especially when it involves innocent lives it is necessary only in your human terms because you are not yet evolved enough to know that such means of expression is not how the road to evolution is paved. Until man on the physical plane learns how to overcome his limitations in terms of his thinking all relevant to the beliefs he holds within him and his narrow-minded perceptions. You must understand that there is simply no need for the evolutionary process or progress to include all the gore and horrors your race has become so accustomed too. It truly benefits no one on any level of being and living and furthermore there is no God keeping tabs on such mindsets but there are indeed natural laws operating within every aspect of the entire universe.
What you do come to experience is growth, growth in not only learning how to overcome your very own self-imposed obstacles but also to grow up in the ways in which you understand the nature of your very own realities. What good is each of you to the race if you have not even been able to understand yourselves first before you can understand your neighbors? Additionally, you also select a physical life so as to influence your kind in its creativity, in its artistry, in its ability to express itself in the many ways that are available to help the cause of humanity all across a very broad perspective.
I want to be sure that you understand that no God dictates the nature of all reality but that the nature of the physical reality is in fact dictated by each and every individual. I know that nothing I’ve said changes the course of all the concerns you have shared as neither I nor anyone from my realm cannot interfere with free will so you see the changes you would like to see are entirely up to the free will of each and every individual existing on the physical plane. Free will is really not quite so free as it does have its own built in governance. We as guides can only do just that, we guide and we teach but we can never influence anyone for any reason simply because the nature of your reality is just that - it is your very own reality. In that respect, as much as it doesn’t seem to make sense there will always be good that resides with the evil just as there will always be dark that resides with the light. It is said that whatever a man can believe he can conceive. This is true on all counts –good or bad, right or wrong.
Lastly, any being on any plane of livingness always has access to those who are on the higher planes such as I am from. We make every attempt to communicate with those on earth, the problem with the communication is not that we are not communicating; it is that you are not hearing. You are all, in fact, born into infinite possibilities but those possibilities cannot become probabilities that then become your reality unless you give them permission to do so through the action of your own thinking tied together with your beliefs and your perceptions. Each of you is either your own friend or your own foe. The choice is really yours.