Why are we suffering?

Why are we suffering is one question I asked myself since I could understand the meaning of it. It was only last year when I finally got some answers, and I was able to internalize them.

I think it is crucial to understand the distinction between suffering and pain. I noticed many people think these words are interchangeable and use them as such. When, in fact, there is a clear difference. In my view, pain is physical, and it is caused by an injury or illness, while suffering is mental and is mostly created by us.

With physical pain, of course, suffering is inevitable, and it is real. However, most of the times we are suffering for little things that often are just imaginary, manufactured by our minds. In other words, we are suffering because of something that may not even exist or ever happen.

A very high number of today’s population is suffering because we are not able to manage our mind. It was only last year when I realized how much suffering I created for myself. I thought other people or circumstances were the causes of my frustrations, anger, disappointments, etc.  When, in fact, I was the ONE allowing everything and everyone to dictate what and how I felt.

Then, the question of why did I do that to myself for so long popped out. And the answer was simple: I did not know any different. I am sure many of you are going or went through a similar experience. We think the busyness of life is making us live in our heads, thinking of life instead of experiencing it. Our psychological state becomes far more prominent than the existential one, and that is just wrong.

We have to start living. We have to feel, experience life just the way it is, not the way we want it to be. After I had this realization, my whole perspective of life changed. I took charge of my life. Now, I am responsible for my thoughts and my emotions, nobody else is. I choose if or how I react to everything.

I wish everyone would come to this realization early in life because the suffering will stop. Once you know you are poisoning yourself little by little with every outburst, you will end hurting yourself. The choice is always ours. What will you choose: happiness or misery? Now, I always pick happiness.