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- KEEP COMMENTS CIVIL, UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYONE MAY SHARE YOUR VIEWS & THAT'S OK!
- in university atm and had to take a philosophy course. One of the concepts we learned about was the diverse body of thought on the concept of evil (which i have switched to "suffering"). the 2 biggest things i took away were: how does one define suffering & how does one react to the idea of suffering. bear in mind i attend a christian university so the examples ive provided below inherently originate from such schools of thought. however just bc my examples are inherently Christian does not mean at all that those are the only philosophies i respect, just the one's i have been taught, i more than encourage non-Christians to share their thoughts in the comments!
how does one define suffering?
types of suffering i have come to recognize:- natural suffering: suffering caused by natural events (ex. hurricanes, avalanches, non-man-made diseases, etc.)
- direct suffering: suffering caused by my own free will (supposing i have free will)
- moral suffering: suffering caused by other's free will (ex. betrayal, discrimination, drunk driving, etc.)
- divinely instigated suffering: suffering caused by the divine (ex. the flood in genesis, Prometheus' punishment, etc.)
how does one conceptualize suffering?- free will: suffering results exclusively (or at-least near exclusively) as a result of our free will. humans are inherently responsible for all the evils of the world
- God's plan: God has holistically planned for each event to occur and suffering was a requirement for His plan
- soul-making: suffering exists so that we may better ourselves. in the same way iron must be burned, so to must we be molded by trials and tribulations
- cosmic conflict: good and suffering are locked in a battle whilst we are caught in the cross-fires
- and a few more that are even more dependent on the belief of the Judeo-Christian omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent triune diety known as "God."
i bring this all up bc each and every time ive asked someone i always get a slightly different answer and it fascinates me! lmk what you think in the comments! - the formatting on this post is a tad odd for some reason, will try to edit it until it looks normal!
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How do you view the idea of suffering?
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Reply by swagkittie
posted
I got a bit lost by the text but here's how i view suffering:
Suffering is something we can and will never truly escape.
It'll exist no matter what you do and try.
I think suffering isn't fun but it does teach us a ton!
It helps us to realize the mistakes and faults within ourselves and what to better.
People who suffer the most seek away from it.
It pushes them to work, and to realize what is affecting them.
I view suffering as an essential part of being human.
Also life's positive and fun parts would be harder to appreciate without being able to compare it to suffering.
It serves as a point of comparison and as a thing that pushes us to act!
You explained that very well and i think your post was very well though out!
Kinda enlightened me with this one :)
Dm me if you'd want to discuss this further, i'd love to explore deeper into this or any other philosophical topic we might have in mind!!
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Reply by BoxBot!
posted
@swagkittie
ya! being transparent i quite like the soul-making approach and i feel like your response mirrors a similar viewpoint. i think another thing that's interesting to think upon is the origins of suffering, although i do feel that gets even more rooted in religious thought and isnt as inclusive of a conversation topic friend request coming your way regardless!
friend request coming your way regardless!