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Suffering

Introduction

Every significant body of thought will have engaged with the subject of suffering in some way, but many of these can be seen as minor variations on a theme, or elaborations of a basic idea: there are very few distinct and significant approaches.

It is perhaps worth noting that this article is about 'Suffering', not 'The Problem of Suffering'.  Whether or not suffering is a problem - and, if it is a problem, exactly what that problem is - depends entirely upon your worldview and assumptions.

There are, as far as I know, just two bodies of thought in which the subject of suffering holds a central place:  the first to be developed was Buddhism, and the second was the Christian faith.  If there are others which I have missed, do say.

The Major Approaches

The core of Buddhism is the ending of suffering.  When people are introduced to Buddhism, the first thing they generally learn are the 'Four Noble Truths': the fact of suffering, the cause of suffering, the ending of suffering, and the way to achieve the ending of suffering.  Suffering is an inevitable aspect of existence: I can learn to reduce my suffering, but not to avoid it completely.  To put it another way, according to Buddhism, pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice - a choice we all make, until we learn to end it.  The doctrine of karma means that I should not act to harm another, as that will result in my own suffering; but it also means that I cannot act to reduce the suffering of another, since they will have to suffer the consequences of their own past actions sooner or later.

At the core of the Christian faith is a God Who suffers for the good of others, and Who calls us to follow His example and His mission.  Suffering is recognized as an important feature of the world, but Christians are called to work to combat suffering and, where necessary, to suffer themselves for the good of others; the promise is held out that one day we will together be able to enjoy a world without suffering, and without the injustice which leads to suffering.

Within the modern atheist perspective, suffering is seen from an essentially Buddhist perspective, as an inevitable aspect of existence, but without the accompanying belief that there is a way to avoid suffering.  Some strands of atheism would align with the Christian aim to combat suffering, but again without the accompanying belief that one day this battle will be successful.

Some Initial Comments

We are talking about suffering here as an intellectual topic, because it is a subject which occupies the minds and attention of many people.  But if someone is suffering, an intellectual discussion of suffering is neither wanted nor helpful: an appropriate response may be simply to be with the other person in their suffering, and perhaps do what you can to reduce it.

Much of the conversation around suffering fails to identify the aspect of suffering being discussed, which inevitably leads to confusion.  So it would be helpful in our discussions to identify the specific aspect under consideration.  Some of the possibilities include the following.

• Suffering as a cosmic reality: the universe is structured in a way which makes it inevitable that living creatures will suffer.
• Suffering as the consequence of impersonal events and personal choices,
• Suffering as a personal experience,
• Suffering as a personal choice.

It is sometimes assumed in discussions that suffering is bad, but:

• some suffering is good (when I cut my finger or break my leg, the pain tells me what I need to know - that something is wrong);
• some suffering is chosen (when an athlete is training or competing, the activity is expected to produce aches and pains - and they are not trying hard enough if it does not);
• some suffering is inflicted for a good reason (when I took my children to be imunised and the doctor stuck a needle into them); and
• some suffering is not chosen and appears to be bad, but leads to a good outcome (when a missed bus causes you to meet the love of your life).

People often talk about the 'problem of suffering' as if the nature of the problem is obvious.  But there are a number of quite distinct problems.

• Suffering is a problem because we don't want to suffer when we don't choose to and don't benefit from it.
• Suffering is a problem because the nature of suffering we experience and observe is not consistent with a way we want to understand God.

Some Personal Views

• Adrian Roberts has given his perspective on suffering in his blog.
• Mark Collins has given his perspective on suffering on his blog.

Comment from Don:  Pain can come from two sources: natural events or the action of people (including ourself) either intentionally or unintentionally.  The second of these requires an act of the will.  Having free will inherently involves the ability to inflict pain, otherwise we would not have free will.  Assuming that we have free will (separate discussion), the problem, therefore, seems inherently not to be about pain but why do we have free will?