People, animals, other living creatures and even machines
all suffer. People suffer because vicious animals and
creatures attack them: sharks, snakes, spiders, etc.
People suffer because other people attack them: physically,
mentally, spiritually, emotionally and sexually. People
suffer because machines malfunction. Injuries and deaths
result from these various encounters…between men and
machines.
Babies suffer from the effects of unhealthy and dangerous
activities. Not always their own. Many times innocent babies
suffer due to maternal neglect while the babies are still
in utero. Teens suffer from internal and external conflict
leading to depression and/or suicide.
Most people eventually suffer from old age, all kinds of abuse,
imaginary (Alzheimer’s) or real, and some even face losing
valuable working parts that are vital to their existence. For
instance, diabetics often risk losing one or both of their legs.
Often old people seem to have no way of expressing their tragic
situation. When they’re no longer useful to other human beings,
they’re cast aside to rust. Quite often, those old people are
taken away to retirement homes. They feel like outcasts and they
suffer even more. Suffering in isolation would be a horrible fate.
Animals also suffer. They suffer from many of the same diseases
people suffer from and they also suffer due to neglect and
cruelty. Their humans no longer can afford to take care of them
or the animals are abandoned and left to fend for themselves.
The suffering of innocent, helpless animals often causes suffering
for many people: directly or indirectly related to those particular
animals. Since all creatures suffer…human beings are certainly
not alone in their suffering.
Some people could state that human suffering traces its origin to
biblical days and paradise lost. Others could come up with a host
of plausible theories pertaining to human suffering. I have a few
ideas of my own. * Human suffering = human destiny * * Human
suffering = life’s journey * * Human suffering = the price we pay
for mortality * Each person has his/her interpretation regarding
human suffering.
People often suffer because of their own stupidity and/or carelessness.
We hurry through tasks and activities because we have an endless list
of chores to do and errands to run. Often we have ten or more things
on our minds, our thoughts become jumbled and we make tragic mistakes
because of our inattention to the tasks that require our complete
attention. People are seriously hurt and some people die due to stupidity
and carelessness.
Some suffering is due to planned stupidity and carelessness. Drug addicts
and alcoholics often knew beforehand of the dangers of drinking excessively
and of the toxic effects of legal and/or illegal drugs. They didn’t care that
those habits could lead to extreme suffering and unbearable pain.
People often suffer due to genetics. Diabetes is often a gift of heredity.
Some people can’t avoid this acute suffering no matter what they do, how
much they weigh or what they eat. They’re doomed to suffer. Environment
causes other suffering: air pollution, second hand smoke, exposure to
hazardous chemicals and other toxic substances.
People suffer because of wild weather: hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, forest
fires, earthquakes and tornadoes. This suffering is often quite terrifying
because some weather is so unpredictable and often people have little or
no notice that their lives are about to take a dramatic and dangerous twist.
People often suffer because of unfulfilled lives. They dwell in the past,
reliving all the mistakes they ever made. They suffer because they can’t
move on with their lives. Some people probably suffer because they love
the attention they receive from others. Hypochondriacs…come to mind.
There is no cure for suffering. Not even death. Because any death: that
of a person, an animal, another creature or a beloved machine only brings
more suffering to those who’re left behind.
