In general, I think that not everything needs suffering to be meaningful. Many experiences can be valuable without necessarily being painful. Of course, people have different opinions on this, but it really depends on how we define suffering and meaning. Viktor Frankl taught that suffering can be a path for purpose and growth in life. Through his experiences in Nazi concentration camps and his psychotherapeutic approach of logotherapy, he believed that the key to finding meaning in suffering is to focus on one’s attitude and find a purpose.
For me, suffering actually adds a lot of meaning to situations, especially when different people experience things differently. For example, if two people share an experience but only one ends up suffering, I believe the person who suffered is the real winner because they’ve worked hard to get where they are. It’s not just about status or success, it’s about the feeling of having truly worked for something. That sense of having overcome pain or difficulty is really special. When things come in an easy way, we have less appreciation for them which automatically gives it less meaning, so in my opinion, suffering does add more meaning. I think suffering also makes people more prepared for tough situations in the future because they learn resilience and act more carefully, which can lead to less suffering later on.
I believe people who allow themselves to suffer and understand growth in suffering are often better at forming deeper social circles because they develop emotional maturity and character. Of course, not everyone who goes through suffering automatically becomes emotionally mature or grows as a person, but it can help in a way where the person is more open minded with their actions, words, perspective, etc. More like suffering adds meaning to our character. For example, running a marathon is not super fun but after all the patience and pain endured there’s always an accomplishment at the end that has a little bit of a fuller meaning because suffering was included.
From my point of view, we all create our own reality based on how we see life and the situations we go through. Everyone experiences intense emotion and it is very important to value it and actually let yourself hurt. What really matters is how we handle those experiences, what we learn from them, and how they affect us afterward. Pain should never consume one’s mind, by detaching and changing perspective on everything being so evil, one is able to take a good outcome of pain. It’s not just about what happens to us. Our brains tend to focus on escaping discomfort or taking the easy way out. Some people distract themselves, some face their problems head-on, and others just let things fade away, especially if they don’t have much time for themselves. But I think it’s best to deal directly with problems and discomfort, even if it takes time. In the end, I believe that if I can only understand, learn, and grow from an experience, even a painful one then it’s all worth it. We get to choose what effect things leave on us, and because people understand that concept they often just stay suffering forever unfortunately.
