What for — The value of suffering

Pain is inevitable but suffering is by choice “, I read this is in an Instagram post around last year. The line struck to me at the time as I was going through emotional turbulence. It soon became a source for motivation. Almost a year has passed and the need for the source has vanished. When I self-introspect, I have become a lot strong emotionally or the quote has lost its meaning.

As I recall, previously it meant to me that, pain is bound to happen in any case and I didn’t know the meaning of suffering. Later as I grew I have come to understand the meanings more deeply. We can reduce the course of pain by accepting that suffering is in our control. Think of it as pain being external stimuli while suffering is the response to it. “... at any instance, we have one universal freedom, our response... “ Victor Frankl famously said in his 1946's book Man search for meaning.

It was a few weeks back I had a really good start of the day. Early morning getting a call from an old acquaintance, a powerful yoga session just to name a few. But by the day end, I was saddened to know that appa was sick. I felt a slight pain within. A seasonal fever at age 60 is enough to torment the family members as well. The 1300 distance magnified the intensity. Since then I had been having the sleepless night thinking of the worst.

Having stayed away from home for last 16 years, I have developed resistance to such seasonal issues. However, my last Sunday night call with appa was different. I got to know that he wasn’t looking for check up as he has always believed to go the home remedies. While my sleepless night continued with the echoes of appa sick sounding voices. Things changed after last night call. I was returning from the gym and I saw a call from home on my phone. My heartbeat had suddenly escalated abnormally. A million thoughts rushed in a fraction of second until I heard a familiar voice.

The present,

I am happy that appa has recovered his health and is back to his last few years of being a Forest Ranger. I have come to acknowledge his beliefs of home remedy considering he spent most of the time working closely with residents in the forest. In fact, now I appreciate it more and actually look forward to the science. After all mother nature has got the solution for every human problem.

One question that came post that call, “ What for — The value of suffering? “

Hercules Singh Munda

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I'm a Happy man. Amateur by work. Mature by talk. I write on Poetry, Philosophy, and People. Get’s my heart bleeding on topics of change.