Most people associate suffering with pain, be it physical, mental or spiritual. They assume suffering to be an automatic result of all pain. However, suffering is not a result of pain, it's a RESPONSE to pain.
Pain is an unpleasant signal that is warning you that something is wrong. Suffering, on the other hand, results from our wrong thinking about the pain. And, in fact, many people experience suffering who have no pain at all (hypochondria is an example of this).
I remember seeing Christopher Reeve (he was Superman in the movies) being interviewed by Larry King. In May 1995 the one-time "man of steel" was in a riding accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down and dependent on a ventilator. It was obvious in watching him, with a drawn face and tense speech, that he has endured and continues to endure an incredible amount of pain. However, his response to this pain has been anything but suffering from it. He has instead devoted his life to helping others, especially those with paralysis. And his accomplishments have been extraordinary.
While Christopher has experienced the pain of physical paralysis, many of us have experienced the pain of divorce, layoffs, financial disaster, self-doubt, fear and a host of other ills. But like Reeve, we do not have to "suffer" from our pain --- it's our choice. And we don't have to be Superman or Superwoman to deal with it.
Deepak Chopra defines suffering as "that which threatens to make life meaningless." Life is meaningless when we don't have direction, a goal, or a vision. That's when we are inviting suffering into our life.
Christopher Reeve says, "My feeling is you have to deal with the reality as it is, but not accept it as permanent. I'm sorry, but I just don't believe there is any reason to give up. The goal is a cure. The goal is to get up and out of the wheelchair. And in the meantime, you deal with reality. But if you don't have a vision, nothing happens."
by Vic Johnson
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