Suffering and Its Meaning
I just finished reading the book “The Book of Calamities: Five Questions About Suffering and Its Meaning” by Peter Trachtenberg and I have come up with 3 main categories to describe suffering.
- The Christian Viewpoint – Most Christians view suffering as part of God’s plan. Sometimes we suffer because God is trying to teach us something (like patience), or God is correcting us for some sin in our lives, or sometimes God has a wonderful plan that is just beyond our understanding so we need to just trust that He knows what’s best for the world. All in all, there is a purpose for everything that happens at all times including suffering.
- The Buddhist Viewpoint – One of the main precepts of Buddhism is that “life is suffering” and we need to accept that truth before we can really grow as people. The belief of karma (which is similar in Hinduism) says that if we do good things with our lives, we will receive good in return, and if we do evil with our lives, we will receive evil in return (sometimes in our reincarnated past and future lives also). So suffering can be considered part of the universe’s way of evening everything out.
- The Atheistic Viewpoint – There is no purpose or meaning to suffering. Some people suffer, some people don’t and in most cases it’s just dumb luck and chance. In some ways this is a depressing viewpoint, but in other ways it is freeing because you don’t have to live your life constantly searching for reasons and worrying about doing the wrong thing.
Am I missing any other major views? Let me know. Thanks.
the atheist view on suffering “dumb luck and chance”
i disagree with this view.
there are six billion ppl on earth
statistically (statistics a bridge between the certainty of mathmatics and the uncertainty of real life).
none of us are created equal . each of us was created in order to propagate our species , except where god is involved.
if you believe in evolution , then you believe that there is an upside – and that there is a downside to every complex mammal.
I am saying that there is a statistical chance out of 6 billion that some of us will suffer . (Actually i dislike the word suffer ). It reeks of 2000 year old dogma ). Some of us will be well adapted to the environment we have now. To restate the “some of us will suffer” : Some of us are currently unsuited to the environment into which we have arrived. To restate evolution , those well suited will prosper , but those not suited will , well this is difficult to say —.
Of course , I believe that those who do not enjoy life , need our help , thru taxation . I feel sick , when the taxation is used in the christian viewpoint to impose narrow guidelines on our enjoyment of life , i should say on each persons enjoyment of life. Remember : All of us are different individuals.
An example of christian diversion of taxation , “residential schools” .
Another example from way long ago “crusades”.
Another example practiced from roughly 1300 to 1830 “Janniseries”.
If us mammals ever do manage to govern ourselves based on enjoyment of life without a religious component , then the 2000 year old word “suffer” will vanish. Instead the atheists may use a new terminology. Whatever it is , We need to understand that every human in existence needs to enjoy it’s life. We are here because our lives depend on enjoying life. Our ancestors enjoyed life. Are you enjoying it ?