Blog 2: What Is Suffering

Suffering is a difficult concept for us to understand. Each of us deals with suffering differently.

How do you deal with the concept of suffering?
I personally have not suffered anything that great in my life, but the ways some people deal with suffering are by: shutting-down, laughing (at wrong times), crying, being angry or closing away from others. One way that helps people deal with suffering is getting in and helping those who have or are suffering.

Why do you think suffering exists?
I believe suffering exists to balance out the good. Without suffering people would take the good for granted. There should be consequences for doing wrong, sometimes consequences can be suffering. Suffering teaches us what is right and what is wrong. Suffering brings people or communities together, it teaches us to help others in suffering. People make mistakes as well and sometime can cause suffering, not on purpose but by being human beings. Sometimes we can’t even control what happens, suffering just happens.

How does suffering affect your understanding of God?

Suffering doesn't affect my understanding of God, because I know that God is not always to blame when something bad happens. As human beings we are not perfect, sometimes we choose to cause suffering. We all have freewill, we all choose what we do and say. Suffering doesn't affect my understanding of God also because, God never gives us more than we can handle. The way I look at is like this: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. God does things for a reason, whether its to teach us a lesson or to point us in the right direction.

Of all the evil that causes suffering in this world, what is the one thing you would always stand up and fight against?

Standing up and fighting means you have to get in and support, being there to help, not being the bystander who couldn’t care less.

There are a few things I would always stand up and fight against, the first one is cancer. Cancer causes suffering to many people. My grandfather died of cancer before I was born, so I have always been eager to support and help cure cancer. I will always support foundations trying to cure cancer and helping those with cancer.