Innocence and suffering pt.2

The cover art is a a.i generated art over the phrase “fate writing a book on suffering”

This is going to be the portion of a non-religious persons argument, I will be pulling info from many places and just the thought process Ive built upon what I have taken in through reading and my personal experiences.

Why do innocent people suffer?

So this time I feel we have to approach this question different as defining the innocence of a person is difficult with how subjective that may be, but I feel that in this I’m going to use the innocent as someone who has undoubtedly not had any causation worth the suffering that they may have to endure, innocence in a situation rather than a person.

When I look at this question I find it really funny how different my answer is after reading one book.

Mans search for meaning by Viktor Frankl

This book is extremely powerful, and I feel gives an eye opening message of suffering and how it has changed my perspective on what I believe suffering is.

If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an eradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.

Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl is one of the many that have experienced one of the most extreme forms of innocent suffering. In the year 1945, Viktor Frankl was a inmate at a concentration camp in Nazi Germany.

This book tells the story of pain, loss, and suffering he experienced throughout his time as a prisoner at Auschwitz, Dachau and other camps.

Viktor was waking up every single day, wondering if tomorrow would be his last. He was living in a true hell on earth, he woke up suffering from short sleep, rat, lice, and maggot infested sheds. To go suffer doing intense labor, with little to no food or water within the sharp winters of Germany.

Every second that he was a beating heart, he was suffering.

The importance of this book is being able to read on how someone was able to endure an indeterminable amount of suffering, for an indeterminable amount of time. If he was looking for a meaning in life, many would be sure that is the last place he would find it.

Suffering

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts, comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.“

Viktor and his surrounded prisoners had their existence taken away from them within a day, not a single hair on their body, names replaced simply with a number. But the few that could recognize even with all stripped away from them they had one thing, a choice, a choice to react to any given thought, emotion, or scenario, in any way we wish.

This is something that is preached not just here but through stoicism,

Does whats happened keep you from acting with justice, generosity, self-control, sanity, prudence, honesty, humility, straightforwardness, and all the other qualities that allow a persons nature to fulfill itself.

So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is a great fortune.

Marcus A.

There will be suffering, so how will you react?

Frankl in a state of apathy, pain, agony, needed a reason to continue living through the suffering he was going through, so he puts on armor and stops taking the suffering as an undeserved punishment, but instead a challenge, a test.

“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even under the most difficult circumstances – to add a deeper meaning to his life.”

Viktor Frankl

Suffering is something fundamental to human experience, and Viktor understood that clearly, but he still couldn’t understand why he needed to continue.

So as all great minds do, he changed his perspective again.

He doesn’t just answer why do innocent suffer, but also his meaning of life.

Death in Tehran.

A rich and mighty Persian once walked in his garden with one of his servants. The servant cried that he had just encountered death, who had threatened him. He begged his master to give him his fastest horse so that he could make haste and flee to Tehran, which he could reach that same evening. The master consented and the servant galloped off on the house. On returning to his house the master himself met Death, and questioned him, “Why did you terrify and threaten my servant?” “I did not threaten him; I only showed surprise in still finding him here when I planned to meet him tonight in Tehran,” said death.

Fate is inevitable, what happens in the moment is fate. Each passing moment as time passes on fate is parallel with it. What has happened will always have happened, whats happening will continue to happen, and what will happen, wont change. Fate is a powerful thing.

Stop resisting.

Viktor stopped trying to defy fate, and started trying to go head into it.

He stopped asking about the meaning of life and instead started to think of ourselves as the one life is asking questions to. Every hour, every day, until our fate is sealed.

He states that our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the task which it constantly sets for each individual, in the moment, in the present.

Therefore the meaning of life is not found on a mountain top, but our meaning is found every day when we choose to take right action in our duties and responsibilities, welcoming suffering as the fate it is.

Suffering is only suffering if you wish it to be, life never ceases to have meaning, even suffering ceases to be suffering, the moment it finds a meaning.

Suffering is not a bad thing, suffering is something that when sought out, will change you for the better.

Selective suffering will prepare your mind for when its unwillingly in front of you.

Jude Camacho

So stop expecting things from life, its not going to answer any of your questions that you want to be asked, its going to give you questions, endlessly, and it is your job to answer life questions, how you respond is unarguably, up to you.

Life, Death, and Suffering, all seek out the same person. If you have experienced one, you will surely experience the others. If you didn’t get a choice for one, what makes you feel like you have a choice for the others? So stop trying to decide when or how they act, and start deciding how you would like to react.

Jude Camacho

With that note, I want to remind you, that no one else can answer your questions for you, but people are always willing to help guide you, books to help guide yourself. The meaning of life is unique to the individual, unique to the moment. You are not replaceable, nor the answers you can give. No one can be replaced. You matter, greatly, and if you ever feel otherwise I am always open to listen. You are here for a reason, don’t ever doubt that.

Be present sharpening your sword today, so you may fight the battles to come. But if you’re always fighting needless battles, or become sufficed with the sharpness of your sword, you will be reminded when fate arrives, and it’s a battle you feel you cant win, that your sword could’ve been sharper.

Jude Camacho

Closing statements

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day, be the best version of you today.

Get 1% better.

I love you.