It’s terrible isn’t it. I think of all the issues that makes belief in God so difficult for many people it is this problem of human suffering.
Yes why does one person suffer terribly and another seemingly sail through life untouched.
It bothered the Buddha a lot. So much so he went and sat under a tree until he solved the problem to his own satisfaction. Which was basically you must detach yourself from the world to detach yourself from human suffering. Mmm…but how can you become detached if you’re the one suffering? If you have a debilitating disease how can you detach yourself from it?
What do the other great religious traditions say? Well that esteemed English guru Glenn Hoddle sided with Hindu belief and agreed it was something to do with how you behaved in a past life. Karma see. You’re crippled because you acted badly in a previous life.
But does that really answer it? I suppose it is AN answer.
Islam? Allah’s will I suppose. Isn’t it all just Allah’s will. I think there might be a hint of ‘instant’ Karma in their belief. Namely If you behave badly in this life bad things will happen to you… in this life.. Don’t know if that is absolutely correct I am not an Islamic scholar.
The Jews? Well they certainly know about suffering. They have the Book of Job which basically teaches remain stoical and trust in the Lord. The Lord will come through for you in time. Be patient.
Yes the Stoics just grin and bear it. Maybe it allows for ‘character building’ in Stoicism,
don’t know.
What about atheism? It would all seem so pointless to them. All the suffering, all the pain, all the heartache all for nothing. Just hard luck.
Christianity. I was listening to a doctor whose wife died from cancer. He was a member of some evangelical church. And he was saying that even though the other members of the church were loving and supportive it was frowned upon to recognise she had anything wrong with her at all. It was the ‘you’re not getting well because you havent enough faith’ type thing. Pray, pray, pray. Both of them believed it even to doctor not giving her painkillers. So she suffered terribly with much pain and died.
Then he became Catholic and came to believe in the power of ‘redemptive suffering’ That understood correctly means you can grow in love and holiness from it. ‘It was the only thing that made sense’ he said.
I have someone close to me who suffers a lot. Not much in the way of spiritual progression I think. That is because she is busy dealing with the pain. Or busy enduring it. Nothing focuses the mind more than pain. Trouble is the focus is on the pain. Her whole mind is taken up with it.
I suppose these spiritual enlightenments come after the suffering is over. But with my loved one it is on -going. She asks me why does she suffer so much and I give the answer I gave above about growing in love-‘uniting our suffering with Christ’s’. But it does just sound hollow sometimes. it’s hard.
Saint John Paul-‘suffering is good for you’. Discuss.
How do you make sense of human suffering?
Nominated by: Miles Plastic
