11. Humans And Suffering

If crying is a sign of suffering, then it is true that from birth, humans are tainted with worldliness. Suffering stays with us until life ends with death, which is no less painful.

Buddha said, “Life is a sea of suffering.” The Catholic song Salve Regina considers life a “valley of tears” and “a place of exile.” Poet Nguyen Cong Tru also sighed, “If you’re happy, why don’t you laugh?”

So what is the nature and origin of suffering? What does suffering mean? How to be freed from suffering?

1. WHAT IS SUFFERING?

• Physical pain:

We don’t know if plants feel pain: they also have self-healing and immune mechanisms. Here we only talk about pain that we clearly see in creatures with nervous systems. From the nervous system’s response, an unpleasant feeling associated with the body’s damaged tissues arises, called physical pain.

• Mental pain:

In addition, in humans with awareness, reflection, and projection, that is, with a spiritual life, mental pain is much scarier and more complicated. It is persistent and gnawing with high or low intensity, depending on the mutual relationship between our spiritual life and body.

A humiliating slap, even if light, is completely different from an accidental mechanical collision, even though it is much heavier. A buffalo being scolded and beaten with a whip is different from the suffering of a human being with a sense of slavery. We call this pain mental one.

Because the body and mind have an inseparable organic influence on each other, this mechanism causes much suffering, so humans are the creatures that suffer the most among all species.

2. CAUSES AND MEANING OF SUFFERING.

• Suffering is natural.

Suffering is the antithesis of dialectic. With happiness as a premise, suffering is like the other side of a piece of paper. Without suffering, happiness has no meaning. Lao Tzu has a saying: disaster is the support of happiness, happiness is the refuge of disaster. They transform into each other.

Pain is a reaction of the body to warn that something is wrong, harmful to survival. When there is pain, the nerves react immediately to end the cause of the injury. The brain will then analyze and make decisions to prevent damage and preserve life.

When the universe was created and went into harmonious operation, “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10). He created humans, giving them intelligence “so that humans would have dominion” (Genesis 1:26). The universe operates according to the law of birth and death. Happiness, suffering, and dialectical struggle continue to evolve.

Human history progresses too quickly. The cause of suffering is gradually discovered and overcome. For example, in medicine, science has established a map of the human genes, finding their defects to correct and overcome the causes of suffering. If something cannot be fixed, there is early warning so you know how to avoid them. Humans have excelled in their role as collaborators in creation.

• Suffering is a challenge to grow.

Suffering is a necessary environment to train people into maturity. “Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength.” Without failure and suffering, people will forever be weak, forever be a tottering stalk, without the solid vitality of an adult with personality. They can’t do anything.

Saint Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you. But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Book of Job says, “If he tested me, I should come forth like gold” (Job 23:10).

Indeed, Job suffered both physically and mentally: from a healthy body, he was now covered in ulcers, sitting in the middle of a pile of ashes, “taking a potsherd to scrape himself” (Job 2, 8). In extreme misery, he complained, “Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11).

In the book of Job, God, who has power over everything, allows evil to rage in the world spiritually.

Satan said to God, “But now put forth your hand and touch all that he has, and surely he will curse you to your face.” The LORD said to the satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him.” (Job 1:11-12).

The Book of Job also says, “Far be it from God to do wickedness; far from the Almighty to do wrong!” (Job 34:10).

Therefore we know that satan is behind the forces of evil which suffering comes from. The devil has the power to create suffering and make us miserable. However, its power is limited. Jesus also said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Mt 10:28).

Saint John wrote, “The whole world is under the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Thus we explain why evil and suffering spread everywhere. It wasn’t God who did it, but the devil. The Book of Revelation also says, “The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

It’s true that humans have the ability to be the master! But they also create just as much suffering.

• Suffering is the consequence of our freedom and wrong decisions.

Humans have freedom and it is this freedom that gives rise to much suffering. Many people believe that evil views and false thoughts give rise to suffering. But one person’s right view is another person’s wrong view.

We don’t know how many cruel and painful wars have been fought so far in human history. Everyone claim righteousness for themselves. The current Russia-Ukraine war is extremely painful. The majority of people in each country believe that they are right and that it is necessary to sacrifice even if it means suffering extreme pain.

Who brings suffering to whom? It was humans who created its woes, through trial and error.

3. HOW TO GET FREED FROM SUFFERING.

• Science with physiological and psychological pain.

Analyzing as above, we see that physical pain is natural and necessary for survival and development. Eradicating suffering is against nature and is impossible.

We can eliminate a suffering or reduce its intensity in some cases. Science has done that. We do not have absolute power over our lives and surrounding nature.

• Buddhism and the four noble truths.

Suffering and its cessation are fundamental to Buddhist teachings. The Buddha pointed out the condition and causes of suffering in human life and proposed methods to escape suffering.

Thus, according to Buddhism, due to previous lives, if one is born as a human, one must certainly suffer and only by cultivating one’s virtues can one transform suffering in this life and in the next life.

• Christianity and the suffering and God’s will.

From nothingness God created all things. Nothing is beyond His power. “I am the LORD, there is no other. I form the light, and create the darkness, I make weal and create woe.” (Is 45:6-7).

Suffering is necessary because it is the antithesis, the other side of happiness.

With the meaning of suffering in life analyzed above, we do not accept suffering as an unchangeable necessity, because humans have freedom and creativity, and are given ‘mastery’ by God, to change their destiny and that of nature. “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).

When the believer fully understands the source of suffering, he knows how to behave appropriately.

In addition to being necessary to grow up in challenges, suffering also means accepting and obeying God’s will, which is the path to salvation, the inevitable path to the glory of maturity and victory. Jesus set a vivid example for us in this matter. Saint Paul wrote, Christ “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

Obedience is giving up one’s freedom, giving up ego and self-interest, is truly a noble virtue.

If humans are the most suffering species, then Jesus must be the most suffering person. Because He knew in advance how painful it would be for Him to die.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, “his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground” (Luke 22:44). Today’s science calls this phenomenon “hematidrosis”, which often occurs in people who clearly know the painful scene they are about to experience.

In addition to extreme physical pain, Jesus also suffered the mental pain of betrayal, loneliness, and estrangement from everyone. The people considered Him worse than the sinner Barabbas. Tormented physically and mentally by suffering, He had to exclaim: “My soul is sorrowful even to death” (Mt 26:38).

Jesus foresaw the terrible suffering He would have to endure. At times, in his human nature, He was afraid and asked God the Father not to force Him to drink the bitter cup, “but not what I will but what you will” (Mark 14:36) and He accepted voluntary suffering in obedience to the Father’s will.

Saint Paul also wrote, “He learned obedience from what he suffered” (Heb 5:8). Nowadays, people often pride themselves and forget the value of obedience.

In other words, according to Christianity, suffering is God’s intention as stated in Psalm 119, “It was good for me to be afflicted, in order to learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).

Conclusion:

In the above analysis, both physical and mental suffering are inevitable. We can only reduce its harmful effects scientifically, as well as utilize it for good and beneficial purposes. In a way, our present suffering will turn into our happiness and glory, if we consciously and voluntarily act as it is a divine will.

God is good and created us to enjoy happiness, not to damn us. Suffering is to preserve life and is a challenge for us to grow. Much of our suffering is because we and the society have used our God-given freedom inappropriately.

In addition, suffering is also a rare opportunity for us to reach goodness. Voluntary obedience has great value. This seems contrary to the thinking of the times and individualism. In fact, the value of obedience is very great, in a mechanism where service is essential, where the goal is the ultimate good and long-term benefit.

Suffering is inevitable and natural, sometimes it is clearly useful.