Category: Others

How Do You Deal With Suffering?

Regardless of your lot in life, you will have to deal with suffering at some point, either your own or someone else’s. How will you handle it?

There are many different ways to go through difficult times. “Suffering” can be defined in many different ways.

One common type is to go through an emotional grieving process at the loss of a family member or other loved one. Because everyone dies eventually, we will all need to handle grief and the wave of emotions that can come with it several times over throughout the course of an average lifespan.

Similarly, the longer you live, the more likely you will have some sort of health problem. These can run the gamut from minor but intense to long-term, chronic issues.

There is yet another wrinkle thrown in when you have to deal not with your own, but the suffering of someone close to you. Even if you don’t experience the pain directly, either physical or emotional, watching a loved one go through it and being unable to do anything to ease that pain can be very difficult.

So how do you deal with it? Chances are, you have had the experience a number of times already, and will have many more in the future. So how did you handle it in the past, and how will you approach future events? Do you keep things bottled up, or share with others? Are you more likely to experience anger, grim resignation, or black humor? How do you deal with suffering?

Related questions: What is the worst pain you’ve ever experienced? What is the right amount of emotion? How do you deal with loss? What can you learn from loss? What are our responsibilities to others?

Look Inward Or Look Outward?

When you give credit or assign blame, are you more likely to look to yourself or someone else? Do you look inward or outward?

Share why if you wish.

Look Inward Or Look Outward?
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Are You Called To Help Others?

One of the most powerful things we can do as a species is to help one another. Do you find yourself offering assistance in some way?

One thing that sets us apart from other animals is our ability to collaborate. One human is not as fast as a cheetah, not as strong as an elephant, and not as tall as a giraffe. Ten humans working together, however, can neutralize any of these advantages.

This is why we have evolved to be social creatures. We enjoy spending time in groups. We swap stories, sing songs, and perform other bonding activities that makes it easier to work together.

An important part of that collaboration is asking for help, and another is offering help when asked. While some individuals might tend to be selfish, others are generous with their time and resources.

Are you one of those people who find yourself compelled to help others? Is there some voice in your head that calls to you to offer your aid? Some humans live their entire lives in service to others, choosing a vocation like teaching, nursing, or a similar occupation.

Others might do something as simple as helping a friend move from one residence to another. Or perhaps mowing a neighbor’s yard, shoveling their sidewalk of snow, or doing odd jobs that need doing.

There are many ways we help one another. Do you feel an urge to be helpful, or are you more concerned with yourself and your immediate family? If you look hard enough, you can always find someone who needs help, so how do you determine who gets your help and who doesn’t?

Related questions: How can you help? When have you asked for help? How can we encourage collaboration?

Who Do You Rely On?

No one survives in isolation. Each one of us exists in a web of people, many of which are crucial. Who do you rely on?

When you consider your life, just think about all the people whose lives intersect your own. While some of those people have very little influence on you, others are more important.

Obviously, people in your family play the biggest role. A spouse, parents, children, and on and on. These are people you might see every day or almost every day, and who you depend on for support of all kinds.

Beyond that, you likely rely on your friends as well. To maintain emotional well-being, you need to have fun, whatever that means for you. Playing games, making music, competing in (or watching) sports, etc. These are things you do with friends, and they probably play an important role in your life.

Depending on the job you have, you may spend more time with co-workers than with anyone else in your life, possibly even including family. While a job is just a way to pay the bills for some, for others a career can provide purpose and meaning. And a supervisor and co-workers can play a large part in that.

Beyond these obvious examples, there are many people who are invisible to you. The people who make it possible to put gasoline in your car to drive places. Or the meteorologist who tells you when to bring an umbrella, sunscreen, or winter boots. Perhaps the cook who makes your dinner at a restaurant, or the grocer who carries the food for you to cook.

Everywhere you go and everything you do makes you part of a large web of interconnected people. Who do you rely on, and how?

Related questions: What makes a community? Who is the most important person in your life? How do you depend on others? Who would serve on your personal board of directors?

 

 

Will You Be Celebrating New Year’s Eve With Other People?

More than perhaps any holiday, New Year’s Eve involves being social. Will you celebrate with others, or at home alone?

Share why if you wish.