Waking Up in a Busy World: The Suffering of Others

Loving kindness is bringing happiness to other persons; compassion means relieving their suffering. The key that opens the door to loving-kindness and compassion is our capacity to undersatnd our own suffering and difficulties, and the suffering and difficulties of others. If we can see and understand our own suffering, then we easily can see and understand the difficulties of the other person, and vice versa.

Thich Nhat Hanh (2011), peace is every breath, Harper One, page 53

I have become aware of another deep and profound behavioral expression of suffering in another beloved young adult, this morning. Now I wonder if my becoming so acutely aware of the suffering of this age group is for a reason. It was like another cold glass of water thrown into the face. Was it meant to wake me up?

Was it meant to make me question the whys and whats of this epidemic of cultural suffering? And if so why? I keep coming back to the question, "What would Love/God/the world/Life ...have me do with this?

Now of course ego gets in there and does alot with the 'me' of this question but when 'I' get beyond that confusion, beyond ego's veil...I realize I am really asking ...What can be done through me?...not ...What can 'l'- as -this -little- exhausted -and-seperate--clump- of -flesh do?

So what can be done through me to help ease some of this suffering? This question consumes me. I ask it to the Self beyond the 'me' and therefore I ask it to God.

This is what comes to mind:

Stop, become quiet and still whenever you are made aware of suffering. Focus on breath in and breath out.
Settle into the moment, beyond any ideas or stories or dramas the mind wants to wrap around this suffering you have become aware of.
Exstrapulate the suffering from any illusion of 'uniqueness' or individuality. Suffering is suffering.
Remember what suffering is and what causes it. Suffering is a mind thing. It is not the world but the perception of the world that causes suffering. It is not circumstance but reaction to it that causes suffering. Even the pain we expereince by watching or becoming aware of the suffering in another is not suffering unless we allow the ego-mind to run away with our pain.
Go beyond ego. Hmm! Whether we are experiencing first-hand suffering or second-hand suffering...we need to recognize the veil of ego that is greatly responsible for any idea of suffering and get beyond it. How do we do that? Awareness of ego, our thinking, our ideation that we are, as indivduals, suppose to 'fix it'...do something...will make the veil transparent enough that we can see through it. Mindfulness, meditation, stillness will help us to connect to the ever present Self beyond ego. The 'I am" will override any "I do."
Focus on finding 'Self" before attempting to help others. Self -realization will allow us to see clearly what is going on. We will understand suffering better...and see it, not as something the individual experiences alone, but something humanity experiences, all beings experience. Their suffering is our suffering. They suffer because we suffer.
Recognize the unity of all. Be there for others from that place of Self realization and we will recognize there is no "other" There is just One Self that we are physical and mental manifestations of.
And know that in order to heal the suffering of others, we need to heal our own. We do that by surrendering and falling into the peace and spaciousness of Self . The spaciousness and peace of Self will then shine for all. Suffering will cease to exist from that view point.
Don't close to what is, to the amazing and healing energy that flows from Self. Stay open to Self and suffering will cease to be a problem.