why suffer?

Question

why does not a pine tree ever tends to kill itself, yet strive for survival, while humans often do go suicidal?

why does not a boulder on a sidewalk ever cry if kicked?

why do many people who declare the will to be happy harm themselves, hence walk farther from the goal?

MARY B: thank you. if i may suggest, try to speak more of heart and less of book ;)

Annie: well, evidently i have physical ability to compare things :) before judging things as 'bad' perhaps you can advise on what 'conscious' is? ;) action causes reaction. peace. and thank you.

small: materialism is just a word. little electrons run along tiny neurons and from different thoughts or absence of them. the fact whether a person is happy is not defined by the fact whether electrons run :)
thank you.

d_r_siva: can kali make a pine tree suffer? golden age is called so by people who did not live in that age. if one of 6bn people is happy and out of suffering, does it mean kali age is off? thank you.

CelticStrength: why not? :) thank you.

Answer 1

The source of all human suffering is desire and ego.
When a human being expresses a desire billions of other humans might be expressing the very same desire hence a conflict of ‘interests’ prevents our desires from been answered and fulfilled.
The ego is the voice within our heads that is constantly whining about everything, demands immediate attention and makes us believe we are the center of Cosmos, gods within the confinement of our bodies.
It’s the ego’s need for survival that drains the energy required for our spiritual advancement and locks our potential within our hindbrain deep into to the dark corners of our consciousness. It victimizes us every time we fail to accomplish one of these ego-centered goals however fails to offer praise in the opposite case.
Within our minds we judge and criticize, segregate and dissect but we fail to love our own beingness.

Answer 2

Ancient Europeans wrote about Ages of Man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_Man

There are also many other references to various
types of world ages or Ages of Man in Hopi
(worlds), Mayan (suns) and other cultures of
antiquity. Giorgio de Santillana, the former
professsor of the history of science, mentions
approximately thirty ancient cultures that
believed in the concept of a series of ages and
the rise and fall of history, with alternating
Dark and Golden Ages.

More details of these Ages are available in the
Yuga concept of the Hindus. The present age
is known as Kali Yuga (age of darkness).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya_Yuga

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml11.htm
http://www.crystallotus.com/Lemuria/04bbTheAges.htm
http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/AgesOfWorld.html

Suffering is a must in Kali Yuga.

Answer 3

1. Why not? how else will I learn, if, i do not suffer.

2. a. the pine tree's purpose is to beget another pine tree.
b. humans have an option in life to do otherwise.

3. the boulder does not suffer.

4. to experience the ultimate ecstasy; alleviate the ultimate
suffering.

Answer 4

Our suffering can be on two types of counts

one is physical, like when we get bodily hurt.... this gives natural pain, and more often than not can be cured naturally with the elapsing time.

the other is mental suffering... this is unique to human beings and is self-inflicted.... it is because of our feeling of self that this suffering arises.
Our feeling of self makes us judge every occurrence or situation in terms of favorable or unfavorable... if judged unfavorable and we believe that we can not alter it to our liking or satisfaction, we begin to suffer mentally..... this kind of suffering is worse than the bodily pains.... this keeps increasing with the passage of time and ultimately can even lead to our believing as though giving up life to get rid of the unbearable suffering is a wise course of action. Materialism is a great enemy in this respect in the sense that it makes for enhanced and increased situations of non-acceptance that can lead to mental suffering. The remedy therefore lies in taking to spiritual path in the pure sense of the term.... what I mean is broadminded spirituality that makes us moral and a good human being. rather than getting swept away by narrow religious rituals and dogmas. The will to be happy must also be backed up by the right path of such broad spirituality for the necessary relief from mental suffering.

Answer 5

You really can't compare non-conscious objects with humans.

"why do many people who declare the will to be happy harm themselves, hence walk farther from the goal?"

Bad philosophy. Like thinking reality is subjective.

Answer 6

all the things uve mentioned have no emotions, it is the emotion that usually overides our intellect and make us do things that dont make sence, we are intricate and complex being, contradictory in nature and comparing us with somewhat simpler lifeforms that dont have social /political/financial/spiritual and love issues to deal with is a conundrum to me.
shud we then deny the existence of suffering, or denial of such a nature has laed to suicides as the pentup frustrations overwhelm their them.....
gud qn tho.

Answer 7

why recognize the concept of suffering?