2006-09-04 06:56:15 · 21 answers · asked by Debra M. Wishing Peace To All 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
What do you feel is the reason for suffering? Is it to help us grow? Punishment for sins? Or a result of human will?
2006-09-04 06:58:13 · update #1
Or is it just the natural result of natural effects?
2006-09-04 06:59:31 · update #2
Suffering has merit in as much as suffering has entertainment value.
The meaning of life is living. The purpose of living is entertainment. I experience entertainment as a discovery and mystery of existence. I act in a drama of life and death. I perceive sensations of pleasure and pain. I feel the catharsis of comedy and tragedy. I fight in the conflict of predator and prey. I play a game of survival and sacrifice. I ponder the discovery and mystery of existence. I am free to choose from a variety and diversity of positive possible views of self and world in a body-consuming biosphere on a crusted magma globe with a sun and a moon reproducible in a galaxy of stars and a universe of galaxies. I make my choices from the point of view of a divine eternal soul spirit ordering the chaos of a fractal infernal temporal seed body.
I believe that I am role-playing in a fractal infernal temporal universe that creates my seed body for the divine eternal entertainment of my soul. I consider the benefits of this arrangement. My seed body imposes limits upon my soul. These very limitations confer upon me my own unique character, ability, personality and identity. Life as a synthesis of seed, body, soul and spirit gives me an opportunity to put on a costume and act in drama of life and death. I fight in the conflict of predator and prey. I play in a game of survival and sacrifice. I ponder the discovery and mystery of existence. I feel the catharsis of comedy and tragedy. I perceive the sensation of pleasure and pain. I submit to the universal, state and natural laws of cause and effect. I take tests of success and failure. I adopt the point of view of a fractal infernal temporal seed body. In life as a synthesis of seed body and soul spirit, I experience ignorance, guilt, inhibition, disgrace, suffering, and sorrow from the point of view of a fractal infernal temporal seed body and in transcendence of death I re-experience compassion, forgiveness, freedom, grace, peace, and joy from the point of view of a divine eternal soul spirit. I make up my mind about self and world from a number, diversity and variety of thought and feeling possibilities made available to my divine eternal soul spirit by my fractal infernal temporal seed body. In transcendence of death, I escape these limitations imposed upon my soul by my body and find truth, faith, love, unity, creation, healing and infinity. There is no loss conferred upon me by such an arrangement, only a gained opportunity to experience life.
2006-09-04 07:03:06 · answer #1 · answered by H.I. of the H.I. 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
I am agnostic (maybe not what you were looking for but the question did say 'mostly').
I do believe that suffereing has merit. I believe the pain that we endure in our life makes us stronger. We learn from the hard times that we go through - we learn not to repeat past mistakes that caused us suffering. We are stronger for the suffering that we endure.
I once read a quote that made tremendous sense to me. "'Pain is nourishment. You can't be brave if you have only had wonderful things happen to you." I'm not sure of the source but this describes exactly how I feel about the pain and suffering in life.
2006-09-04 14:18:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am an atheist (sorry, but you did say "mostly") but I would just like to say that I believe that we should avoid suffering as much as we can, not only our suffering but other people's suffering by respecting ourselves and other people. But there will always be suffering because we are not perfect. I believe therefore that suffering is a natural result of our bad actions. I also believe that it makes us grow because every experience in our life, be it good or bad, makes us grow.
2006-09-04 14:08:08 · answer #3 · answered by Filipe F 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Suffering is a mind made-up phenomenon. Painful stimuli is sensation. Suffering is perceptual. With pain, you have limited control. Suffering is based on whether you allow the pain to cause dysfunction. Most of the stuff we experience in our day to day lives is just crap made up by our brains, similar to dreams, but we are awake.
So to answer your question. I'd say No. suffering has no merit. It's just made up in our grey melon, just as the concept of "merit" is.
2006-09-04 14:12:13 · answer #4 · answered by Jack Meoff 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I love being on the mountain tops, but when I have to go through the valleys to continue on my spiritual path, that is where I find the gold and most valuable treasures in life...Yes, suffering has incredible merit.
2006-09-04 16:55:20 · answer #5 · answered by Denise W 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Since Jesus chose suffering to redeem us, He could have chosen any other way, it seems to me that suffering really has merit.
If you are not crushed by it, I think it purifies and is a wake up call from God.
Most people who have done a lot of good have suffered very much.
Suffering is truly human and makes us truly human.
2006-09-04 14:10:52 · answer #6 · answered by carl 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Suffering helps us realize that this material world is not the right place for us. We suffer because we want to enjoy independently from God. However, we can never become actually happy without Him. So suffering helps us to understand that this is not our place and that we must surrender to the Lord, develop our love for Him and return to His eternal kingdom, where everything is full of knowledge and full of bliss.
2006-09-04 14:02:28 · answer #7 · answered by H. B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
2006-09-04 16:37:57 · answer #8 · answered by Isolde 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes suffering or trials have merit. they come your way to show you what you are made of, as well as help you to grow.
If trial never come you would never know if you could handle that nor could you help other that are going through that themselves
however self inflicted suffering in not part of this. you should never intentionally cause harm to oneself in the name of suffering, life comes with its one problems don't add more.
2006-09-04 14:05:51 · answer #9 · answered by Noble Angel 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes Of course I do , most definitely
James Chp 1 Vs 2 Through 8
Profiting from Trials
2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
2006-09-04 13:59:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It helps people grow.
I prefer Buddhist philosophy when it comes to suffering.
Everybody suffers. And if you live through the suffering, you will be ready to handle it if it happens again, and you'll learn quite a bit, probably.
- 16 yo Pagan
2006-09-04 13:59:26 · answer #11 · answered by Lady Myrkr 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋