Theos-Talk Archives (July 1998 Message tt00188)

Christine wrote:

>I hate suffering, but I must concede that it has made me a deeper, more
>compassionate human being.  I can much more quickly grasp the suffering of
>others, and respond more effectively, because I have experienced it myself.

If there is ONE advantage to suffering, it is that it can prod people to be
more compassionate to others.  However, suffering can just as easily push
someone the opposite direction - for example, people who are abused as
children have a high probability of abusing their own children; women who
are abused in the home tend to marry abusive men; people who have grown up
worrying about where their next meal will come from develop into miserly
folk; nations who have been tyrannized by other nations work to arm
themselves with weapons that will, in turn, frighten other nations.

Suffering often fails as a teacher; however, love and compassion (without
any pain ever entering the picture) never fails.  Pardon the cliche, but
"Children learn what they live."  Children need not suffer to learn to love.

This is not directed to you personally, Christine - but I think we,
humanity, (as Annette alluded to in her post) have been so conditioned to
accept suffering as either "valuable" or "necessary" that we rarely, or
deeply question, if that really is true.  Finding "advantages" in suffering
may be more a 'coping tool' than a spiritual Truth.


Kym