Today's
Meditation:
The vast
majority of us don't necessarily want to suffer, but if
suffer we must, then it would do us well to keep in mind
that we're becoming deeper and stronger people, deeper and
stronger spirits, by dealing with suffering rather than
leading a life free from all suffering. It's not
easy to accept, when all is said and done, but it really
is the truth. It's like we're being tempered by
conditions beyond our control, growing stronger from the
touch of life that we try to avoid, but which brings
significant growth and learning to us.
I
usually don't want to suffer, but when I do go through
troubled times I try to keep in mind that the difficult
times in my life are the ones that make me a stronger and
more compassionate human being. The suffering will
make me stronger in the long run. Perhaps I've
learned this reality from running long distances-- the only
way that we can ever run a marathon is by spending lots of
time pushing our limits to the point of discomfort and
even pain in order to build our strength and
endurance. You simply can't build endurance without
going through some discomfort.
There
are those people who even welcome suffering because they
realize that they'll never grow stronger without it.
They know that they grow through suffering, that it can
make them stronger and wiser and more ready for whatever life may
throw their way. We don't have to actually go
searching for suffering in order to feel its benefits, but
it is good for us to accept the down times and the difficult
times so that we may feel the positive effects of
suffering.
I
shan't avoid suffering. I won't try to do so.
I won't search suffering out, either. But I will
accept it when it becomes part of my life, and I sincerely
hope that I'm strong enough to deal with it well when it
comes my way. We can curse suffering for the pain it
brings, or we can take the benefits of the suffering and
use them to make us people who are better able to help
others who are going through things that are similar to
those that we're
going through.
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