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Thoughts on Suffering

Everyone has suffered, and most will suffer.  Suffering is any prolonged or chronic pain, disease or discomfort.  Using todays panty-waist logic, we must also include emotional suffering and metal suffering, I suppose.  Suffering is part and parcel of the human condition.  That is sad and it is not desirable, but it is the case.  Bill Clinton in his progressive wisdom promoted a pain free America.  He said that any and every doctor needed to give enough pain relievers to stop suffering and pain.  The result, of course, is the suffering of the opioid epidemic.

Because suffering is built into the human condition, built into our hearts and minds, probably built into our very DNA, the only thing left for us is to figure out how to handle it.  The buddhist religion is built on the fact of suffering.  Their first, foundational, noble truth is that all existence is suffering.  Not some things cause suffering, but ALL EXISTENCE is suffering.  They then claim that desire is the cause of that suffering and the whole point of Buddhism is learning how to remove and block desire.

Hinduism sees suffering in this life as payment for evil deeds in previous lives.  Therefore, in their economy, people deserve whatever happens to them, good or bad.  Muslims believe that all suffering is caused by humans and their sinful actions, which is the most honest view out there.  Christianity also believes that suffering is caused by sin.  Either my own sin brings suffering to me or my sin may cause you to suffer through oppression or violence.

For the Christian, suffering is covered quite extensively in the Bible.  First, Christians are to make sure that they are not the cause of suffering.  If a Christian does cause suffering they are to repent, make amends and seek forgiveness.  If, however, the Christian is subject to suffering (someone else is oppressing or causing pain) the Christian is supposed to “suffer for Christ.”  This is because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came and died for sins.  He suffered more than anyone in the history of the world.  He took it like a sheep to the slaughter. So Christians are to be Christ-like and respond in humility, patience and love.

It is the worlds way to fight the causes of suffering.  Even with the invented suffering of some, they march and beat people and throw tear gas all in an effort to create a utopia where there is no suffering.  Progressives are the same way.  They claim that they are building a utopia, but the lives they break on the way are incidental.  Every time a person tries to control another person or a group of people, oppression and suffering will be the result.

Suffering is built into the human condition.  It is senseless, unfair and evil.  Yet Christians suffer now because eternity will be free of pain and suffering.    True utopia is coming with the return of Jesus Christ, when he shall wipe away every tear and remove death, pain and suffering for all eternity.

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