What is the purpose of suffering? — Yohan
Hunger, a form of suffering, has no ultimate purpose, but it certainly has a purpose within the the context of ones bodily health. — Yohan
When we look for meaning in suffering, we are looking for some use in it, are we not? — Yohan
"Suffering" is not an intentional agent so it cannot have a "purpose". The facticity of suffering is gratuitious insofar as suffering happens whenever a species functional defect of an emotive organism has been stressed to or past it's point of dysfunction. For examole, one does not suffer from pain itself but rather one suffers from the degree of dysfunction, or debility, caused by acute, persisting pain and compounded by fear that the dysfunction, or debility, will never cease. (i.e. PTSD). Thus, in most cases, we recognize when others of our kind suffer, that is, we can know what is bad, or harmful, for every human being ... most primates ... many mammals ... like ourselves. The more interesting – pressing – question is What is the purpose of those who are suffering?What is the purpose of suffering? — Yohan
Is that really what you experience or are those your fears about what will/would happen if......?I feel trapped.
If I focus on avoiding suffering, I suffer from being too preoccupied with suffering.
If I focus on becoming happy, I suffer from feeling not happy enough.
If I just enjoy the moment, I suffer later from not considering the future enough.
In other words, the purpose of suffering is to gain wisdom. It is a friend to the wise, and an enemy to fools
Agree? — Yohan
Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms can vary. They may include:
Persistent worrying or anxiety about a number of areas that are out of proportion to the impact of the events
Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes
Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren't
Difficulty handling uncertainty
Indecisiveness and fear of making the wrong decision
Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
Inability to relax, feeling restless, and feeling keyed up or on edge
Difficulty concentrating, or the feeling that your mind "goes blank"
Physical signs and symptoms may include:
Fatigue
Trouble sleeping
Muscle tension or muscle aches
Trembling, feeling twitchy
Nervousness or being easily startled
Sweating
Nausea, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome
Irritability
So the purpose of suffering is to avoid suffering.
— Banno
When we look for meaning in suffering, we are looking for some use in it, are we not? Looking at suffering as a teacher about what not to do seems very practical. — Yohan
Suffering marks the end of this cycles. If we believe i. the endless renewal of creativity, then we can view suffering as an opportunity to discover fresh projects and directions, as well as deeper insights. — Joshs
Interesting and I am sympathetic to this view. How do you understand the kinds of suffering generated by abject deprivation or illness - living homeless on the streets with addictions and mental ill health or terminal cancer? — Tom Storm
↪Tom Storm The challenges of how one might keep warm and dry living rough present splendid opportunities for creativity, for fresh projects and directions. — Banno
Living with a terminal illness , and dying generally , isnt necessarily a monotonous unrelieved trajectory of suffering. It often has the same textured ups and downs of living. — Joshs
My severely alcoholic friend seemed less concerned with his homelessness than with escaping the anxiety of social responsibilities, which is why he self-medicated with pills and alcohol. — Joshs
The circumstances of people in this situation are complex and vary widely from person to person, depending on the reasons for their addictions, etc. — Joshs
The most hellish fate you could wish on someone is not homelessness, which people cope with in a wide variety of ways, but severe chronic depression, which can befall the wealthiest as easily as the most destitute. — Joshs
And the reason is not only because the present offers no sense of relevant meaning , but it becomes impossible to imagine a future different than the present. This is the purest example of stalled creativity. — Joshs
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.