Sometimes Life Sucks and That’s OK
The Timeless Principle of Long-suffering Patience
This is one in a series of essays that was originally conceived as a book for print publication. If you enjoy it and would like to read more from the collection, you can find a sort of Table of Contents here.
What kind of sadistic person am I? Advocating applying a principle in your life that, by its very name, involves suffering? We automatically cringe at the sound of it, and for good reason.
It’s not pleasant.
Not usually, anyway, although the long-term benefits can be incredibly gratifying.
My point, of course, is not to advocate suffering. On the contrary, I firmly believe that applying these Timeless Principles can lead to a much more satisfying and successful life than many of the conflicting self-help or motivational gobbledygook out there.
But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy.
Long-suffering refers to dealing with the negative consequences of an imperfect life in a patient and resilient way. It’s based on looking beyond what’s happening at the moment and seeing the good that will come in the long-term.
Hence, it may require suffering with difficult situations for a relatively long time. That’s long-suffering.
