Witnessing Suffering

May all beings be free of suffering and the cause of suffering.
The Buddha


There is so much sadness in the world. 

It seems that a lot of the people around me are depressed enough to take their own lives (or at least attempt to). I worked in psychiatry so I seen this a lot in the professional context...that was hard enough... but when it happens to people you see everyday, waving as you walk or drive by...the reality of this suffering hits too close to home. Then you hear of broken hearts as relationships that you assumed were strong from the outside looking in fall a part. Cancer rears its ugly head in relatives and you know your loved ones are suffering because of this presence in their lives...and you feel there is nothing you can do. 

That's it! I guess, our own suffering is worsened by having to "helplessly" witness the suffering  of other sentient beings around us.  

How do we cope with this helpless feeling?

Step One:  Accept!  I believe the first step is to acknowledge and accept, as Buddha taught, that there is suffering in the world. Living beings suffer.  That is the truth. 

One unhealthy way that human beings tend to cope with this reality is through something called cognitive dissonance...by closing our minds to the truth of suffering, our eyes to the sight of it and our ears to the sound of it. We often do not take responsibility for our part in it...no matter how small that part may seem. Without responsibility...there is no power. We allow suffering to continue by pretending it doesn't exist.

If we really want to do something about the suffering in the world we need to accept that it exists.  We need to take our heads out of the sand. There is suffering!

Step Two: Don't Collect suffering! Once you accept suffering, do not be tempted to collect evidence of it.  It is easy to get lost in the suffering of others or our own.  "Bad things" always seem to happen in batches. We may come to believe that suffering is all there is. We may collect the suffering we witness or experience, creating a huge collage in our overworked minds...that leads us to look out upon the world as a place that "causes nothing but pain."

Yes there is suffering!!  But there is also light, peace, joy and love in the world!  There is goodness and generosity...strength and harmony.  The world is a beautiful place and life is a precious, precious thing very much worth experiencing fully. 

Of course when someone is suffering from the darkness of fear or depression...it is hard for them to see that. Their vision is too blurry to see clearly. The world around them appears to be so very dark .That leads me to the most important step of dealing with suffering in the world.

Step Three: Be the Light!  In order to end the suffering in the world, we need to end it in the place it exists...the only place it exists...in our minds.  If  we want the world to be a place of light, peace and love ...we  must begin in the only place where we  truly have control...our own minds.  If we find our  way past suffering there...we will radiate like a light that helps others to see.

If I experience peace and calm...I will bless the world with a certain peace and calm. If I experience joy...I will offer joy to the world. If I experience Love in its purest form...I will bring  the healing power of Love to the world. The better I feel...the better the world will feel!

We all must strive to feel as good as we can! The more of us that do that...the less suffering there will be.

I truly believe that!

All is well in my world.


References:

McLoed, Saul (2014) Cognitive Dissonance. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html

Quote from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/309904018092866978/