Why does suffering exist? Is it a cruel trick of fate, a test of character, or something more profound?
One of the central themes of Dostoevsky’s book The Brothers Karamazov is the value of suffering. Here, and in many other places, Dostoevsky views suffering as a redemptive force, as opposed to a punitive one. Suffering is not just a mental affliction, although it certainly begins as that. It is a valuable tool for self-transformation. Father Zosima, a central character in the book, suggests that suffering awakens the depth of our being. It helps us align ourselves to the will of God. On the other hand, we often wonder why should suffering exist at all, for after all nobody likes to suffer? Is God a sadist? Here, we turn to theodicy for insight.
Theodicy is the branch of knowledge that attempts to understand how suffering can exist in the light of God being a compassionate being. There are several answers presented to the question, “Why does God allow suffering”. The most pertinent, at least to this article, is that it is a test to build character (Soul Making Theodicy). As is most often the case with philosophy, this is a hypothesis that cannot be proved.
And so we are faced with a choice. We must choose: is suffering proof of a cruel God? Or is existence indifferent to our plight? Or does existence truly want us to grow and evolve? I choose to pick the latter, not because it is true, but because it is benign. In the absence of conclusive evidence, it is wise to adopt a belief that fosters meaning, even if it cannot promise happiness. As Nietzsche famously said, “He who has a why can bear almost any how”. Our need to understand, to make meaning of our suffering is distinctly human. By choosing the cruel or indifferent God hypothesis,we lose valuable opportunities to grow through the search for meaning of our suffering. This aligns with our human aspiration of wanting to grow, even if there isn’t a rational basis for making this selection.
Having made this conscious choice, we align ourselves with Dostoevsky’s message. Suffering is redemptive – not because it indeed is – but because I choose it to be. This choice is critical. As we’ve seen, suffering also destroys people. But when we choose it, we defang suffering’s destructive capabilities. Therefore, the first step to facing suffering is to choose it. It is important to make a distinction here. We aren’t a masochist wishing for eternal suffering . But when it does come upon us, we adopt an attitude of having chosen it because it is valuable to our evolution.
This volitional choice helps us see suffering as a message from existence. What does this message say? To understand the message, we must first understand why suffering comes about. Suffering, according to Eckart Tolle, is simply a resistance to the Now. The Now isn’t a mystical or esoteric concept. It is the shape the present moment has taken in the form of our current experience. Whatever our experience is now – we simply see it as it is and see that it has already happened. For instance, let us assume we broke our phone, then that is how experience has arranged itself. We just see it as something that has happened, without trying to fight it. This does not mean that we try to avoid the sadness of losing our phone. We accept the uneasy emotional state as part of the present moment.
We choose to accept suffering by saying yes to what is. By doing so, we can decode suffering’s message. Every instance of suffering is telling us “Don’t resist this”. Or in other words, it is teaching us to align our will with the will of existence. This is a central Stoic concept. The Stoics urge us to live in harmony with nature. This does not necessary mean that we be kind to nature (which of course we are likely to be). But this means that we just see things as having already happened. Epictetus says,
“Do not seek for things to happen as you wish, but wish for things to happen as they do, and you will get on well.”
Epictetus
Every instant of suffering is telling us that we have invested our happiness in things we cannot control. And existence wants us to forgo our egoic assertions and submit to its will. This is one of the hardest things to do. But it is also a crucial step on the spiritual path. This is perhaps why the highest spiritual ideal is surrender. And if it is knowledge, as in some spiritual paths, it is the knowledge that we are not a separate entity, rather an integral part of existence. It is Nature’s wishes that are fulfilled, not mine. Desires are integral to existence and are inescapable. However, when we think that the fulfillment of desires brings about a sense of completion in us, we are led astray.
This is what Schopenhauer meant when he said the will (or desire) can never be satiated. It is a blind force that pushes us from one object to another making us suffer. Schopenhauer was of the opinion that there is no escaping this will. Only very special people like the Buddha can renounce the will through asceticism. Ordinary folk like you and me are eternal prisoners to this blind force.
“All striving springs from deficiency or discontentment with one’s state, and is therefore suffering so long as it is not satisfied. But no satisfaction is lasting; it is always merely the starting point of new striving.”
The World as Will and Representation, Volume I
Having said that, it isn’t all doom. There is a hope. Schopenhauer thought of moments of contemplation of art as a potential route to salvation. He thought of art as something that could, if only momentarily, transport us to a consciousness where we forget ourselves. In these rare moments, our will is suspended and striving ceases. Peace and contentment ensues. While he is fundamentally right, I would like to extend this argument to include any activity done for its own purpose (intrinsic motivation). Such as playing an instrument, not to receive adulation, but out of sheer joy and spontaneity. It could be working on a math problem. Or baking a cake. Or scrubbing dirty dishes. When we do activities for their own sake, we can temporarily escape suffering. These actions do not “spring from deficiency or discontentment with one’s state” as Schopenhauer says, but rather from a sense of joy. It is when we act for an ulterior motive of gaining something external to ourselves (extrinsic motivation), that suffering ensues. Krishna, naturally understood this and he hammers this point again and again into Arjuna in the Gita. Here is one quote.
“Arjuna, act only in the spirit of sacrifice. All other actions lead to bondage. Therefore, act without attachment to goals.”
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 Verse 9 (I have simplified the translation)
Krishna is urging Arjuna, and us, to act not to arrive at an illusory future state of contentment, rather to act because the very activity is fulfilling. He calls this “acting in a spirit of sacrifice”. Why sacrifice? Because sacrifice is always associated with giving up something precious. We sacrifice a monetarily rewarding position to spend time with our family. We sacrifice entertainment to study. However, it is important to note that any sacrifice must never be done with a covert aim of receiving something at a future date. This was, unfortunately the basis of several sacrifice rituals in the ancient world. The Gods had to be propitiated through a sacrifice in order to receive a good harvest. Sacrifice in its truest sense seeks no rewards. It is an expression of love, a forgetfulness of self and above all a joyous activity.
So where does this lead us?
Suffering is inevitable, but it can be reframed into a redemptive force. We may never live without suffering. And this is good, because as Dostoevsky shows in The Brothers Karamazov, the experience of suffering is integral to compassion. Compassion simply means telling someone, “I know what you are going through”. And this knowledge can only come about by a direct experience of suffering.
Tolstoy too, in A Confession, delves deeply into the philosophy of suffering through his own existential crisis. He describes how suffering led him to confront the apparent meaninglessness of life and ultimately guided him toward a profound spiritual awakening. Tolstoy reflects that suffering strips away illusions of worldly success and reveals deeper truths about existence. He concludes that true meaning can only be found in aligning oneself with God and embracing a life of humility, love, and service. For Tolstoy, suffering becomes a necessary pathway to spiritual clarity, enabling individuals to transcend their ego and connect with universal love and compassion.
So, having consciously faced suffering and transmuted it to compassion, love and service, we can direct our activities towards areas that interest us – music, art, dance, nature, science, friendship, or just about anything. We do this not from a sense of achievement, but rather from a space of compassion & creative expression. It need not be grand things. It can be the ordinary, the simple and the benign. Remember what Brother Lawrence said,
“It is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelet in the pan for the love of God”
Brother Lawrence
Journey of a thousand words 