Why is it that so many people suffer?

Question

Is everyone trying to climb a slippery slope and failing? Why is it that we never give up?

Answer 1

It's been my experience that a remarkably large amount of the suffering in peoples' lives is self-inflicted. Certainly not all, but a lot. Life is what you make it, but people are prone to making foolish decisions based on irrational thinking, or desire for immediate gratification, or mental or physical laziness, or not bothering to think through the consequences of their actions, etc. People also let their emotions control them. Yet if they controlled their emotions, they'd be much happier.

Answer 2

You are going to receive an unimaginable variety of answers to this question. Some will say it is God "testing" us. Others will blame human innate nature as the cause of suffering. But in the end, there is no answer to this question.

The universe does not care about you or your curiosity or yearning for reason and structure. It is indifferent to your very existence. It neither cares for your welfare, nor is it partial to your destruction; and it sure as hell isn't going to give you, or anyone else answers.

This indifference helps explain why the the universe seems to give and take without any apparent rationale. When you disassemble everything you've ever taken for granted, especially God, you begin to realize the universe is without any inherent reason or purpose. That can be alienating sometimes, particularly when witnessing horrific instances of suffering and knowing it is all in vain.

But there is something to be had from recognizing the futility of infinity; and that is freedom. With this, coupled with a complete and utter abandonment of all hope, one can instantaneously own and be everything one has ever wanted to have or become.

With such freedom, one can do what one upholds as being personally just (such as limiting suffering and injustice of all kinds), knowing full well that such values are subjective figments of the imagination. In the end, we have to use what we are given and create meaning for ourselves on purely individual terms.

Do not love 'tomorrow'; hate it instead. Fore, 'tomorrow' wishes nothing more than to kill you. Right now, it is sharpening its knife, readying itself to slice your throat.

Answer 3

People are climbing to try and reach their goals, and are trying to live life to the fullest. You couldn't get anywhere in life if you didn't suffer a little bit. It is just a normal part of life. You have to climb and then fail sometimes. Thats what gives you the courage, strength, and hope to keep on going. If you never failed, you wouldnt be able to learn from your failure to keep moving on.

Answer 4

Because of wanting; of desire. Think about it, we like in an existence of causality. Everything adds up and is accounted for with cause and effect. When something happens that you do not like, you create a moment of discrepancy in your ability to be content, instead of experiencing a moment of contentment. How you *feel* about a truth does not change the fact that it is true, yet we let ourselves suffer in our heads and agonize over things while those thoughts fix nothing and only distract you from a calm mind.

We need to learn how to let things go, that often because of cause and effect, we won't always get what we want and we need to learn to deal with that fact.

If you let go of wanting, you accept the truth and continue on without snagging yourself. How often have you run a angry thought around and around and around in your head? For what? Did it do anything other then make you suffer more? Did it help you think clearly and rationally? No. Learn to be content with the truth because that is all there is. When you can be content with everything, there is a bounty of experience to enjoy.

Answer 5

Of course, we do give up. Many people do and in many ways, up to and including suicide. Human thought is a curse and we can torment ourselves in our heads until we learn to regulate our cognitive processes.

Answer 6

because it's human nature to cause stress and suffering either to ourselves or to others...

because people are never satisfied...

because most people are evil...some just hide it better than others...

Answer 7

Because God gave us free will to make choices so he can judge based on those choices of who gets into Heaven and who don't. So make good choices!