NEW MEANING OF SUFFERING

Suffering comes from a place of fear. Suffering is closely associated with the feelings of: inability to survive, sadness, loss of love, loss of respect, being excluded, powerlessness, despair or helplessness.

When life hits you hard, you have the choice either to dwell on the feeling of being a victim, or to seek a deeper meaning of it.

Take a deep breath and have a silent moment. Ask your wise self, what are you grateful for? Visualise yourself standing from a higher vantage point. Be a spectator and start watching events in your life as if it is a movie!

You could rewind the movie: what event has occurred, pick some significant events that have led to your suffering. Watch the events as a series of flashbacks. Who participated in it? What did you hear and say?

What were the feeling and emotion as you watch it now? Start seeing yourself in the movie as a hero in a journey. What is the purpose and mission of this hero (you)? What could be interesting in the movie as you could be its script writer? What surprise or excitement awaits in the next episode?

When you could relate the events, the suffering and the big picture of meaning, perhaps you could realize how epic is the landscape of your life journey. The new meaning of your suffering will give you new energy. You could feel clarity, optimism, focus and commitment to take new actions.

By Leksana TH