What is the purpose of suffering? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

TurnedTheCorner · 10-12-2009, 10:44 PM

Someone please explain it to me. I just don't get it.

CMPunk · 10-12-2009, 10:45 PM

To make you appreciate a win

albertGQ · 10-12-2009, 11:02 PM

Its so the inside of the turkey doesn't cook too fast and dry up

Cliche · 10-12-2009, 11:02 PM

You cannot have endless bliss without something to contrast it to. It also weeds out the weak. However in some cases, climbing up that well to a point where a person no longer suffers, they will instead find a surrogate cause to cause them grief. Once you are fully able to comprehend that all life is suffering, then the only option is to relentlessly pursue those small moments of happiness.

OBCT · 10-12-2009, 11:04 PM

The following two links (really just one article in two parts) might help you understand some of the different views people hold on this topic and why they do (though they're only examined in brief). It's not an easy thing, and there has been disagreement for ages as to what the "answer" truly is.

http://clashingculture.wordpress.com...c-part-1-of-2/

http://clashingculture.wordpress.com...c-part-2-of-2/

You can find a similar thing here, only in 10-part YouTube series form.

doozwimp · 10-12-2009, 11:51 PM

The times you are actually happy are that much more fulfilling. More often than not i find i feel less than great, sometimes even going through what i would call a low. The relatively few moments of joy are much more blissful as a result of the low times. Please excuse the cliche...Life is a roller coaster. It, at various points, can be both exhilarating and nauseating. Keep searching for good times.

Thor · 10-12-2009, 11:52 PM

Randomness.

Jordan! · 10-12-2009, 11:59 PM

People look into stuff like this too deep when in reality we're basically no different than a deer. Suffering is just a part of life. A deer suffers when it can't find food, or if it's too cold.

Humans suffer if they find something they see as important in their life, is not being fulfilled.

Then there is self inflicted suffering, bringing up past events in your mind that may have been sad, but why would we do this? Why make ourselves feel sad?

It is a roller coaster, but as long as you are able to enjoy the times you rise up, without going down when the roller coaster goes down. All is good, because you know, eventually it will go up again.

I try to stay in the middle most of the time. Balance is a beautiful thing, if you are able to find it.

Dion · 10-13-2009, 01:42 AM

nm

TheU · 10-13-2009, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bouw N Arrow

People look into stuff like this too deep when in reality we're basically no different than a deer. Suffering is just a part of life. A deer suffers when it can't find food, or if it's too cold.

Humans suffer if they find something they see as important in their life, is not being fulfilled.

Then there is self inflicted suffering, bringing up past events in your mind that may have been sad, but why would we do this? Why make ourselves feel sad?

It is a roller coaster, but as long as you are able to enjoy the times you rise up, without going down when the roller coaster goes down. All is good, because you know, eventually it will go up again.

I try to stay in the middle most of the time. Balance is a beautiful thing, if you are able to find it.

thanks rob kerr

The Goon · 10-13-2009, 07:07 AM

It's great preparation for marriage.

Resolute 14 · 10-13-2009, 07:47 AM

Balance. In sports, there is (almost) always a winner and a loser. If everyone just tied, then it would be soccer, and boring as hell.

In life, there are winners and losers. In your personal life, you will win, and you will lose. The successes would cease to have meaning if the failures had no consequences.

Skyceman · 10-13-2009, 07:50 AM

"Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl is a great little book that I wholeheartedly recommend. I picked it up during a very difficult time in my own life that helped me a lot. Part of the book is about Dr Frankl's personal experience as a concentration camp inmate and describes his method of how he found a reason to live through the camp as well as the eventual execution of his wife, father and mother at the hand of the Nazi's. For me, it really touched on the meaning of suffering and how any man can suffer through anything as long as he has the reason to.

Bownesian · 10-13-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Goon

It's great preparation for marriage.

Three related sayings:

Life means suffering - Buddhist paraphrase

If you marry, you will regret it. If you do not marry, you will also regret it. -Soren Kierkegaard

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. - Socrates

CaptainCrunch · 10-13-2009, 10:24 AM

Because at some point, suffering gives pleasure, especially to the person inflicting the suffering.

photon · 10-13-2009, 10:26 AM

Suffering leads to the dark side of the force.

CaptainCrunch · 10-13-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Suffering leads to the dark side of the force.

Or as I like to call it, the awesome side of the force.

NBC · 10-13-2009, 10:52 AM

Depends if you are Catholic or not.

peter12 · 10-13-2009, 10:53 AM

If anyone tries to answer this question here, I will laugh. This has been something that the great minds of philosophy and literature have been talking about since Man invented writing.

My suggestion would be to read Shakespeare and the Bible.

Dion · 10-13-2009, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photon

Suffering leads to the dark side of the force.

And the dark side has cookies