One way of looking at pain and suffering is the Buddhist perspective. Pain–of the physical sort–is a physiological response to stimuli. Emotional pain, fear, anxiety, grief are similarly responses to stimuli. Suffering is the mental and emotional response to pain. As biological beings, as well as emotional ones, we cannot avoid pain. But we can choose whether or not we suffer. Easier said than done perhaps, but suffering is a choice.

Have I suffered? Oh goodness yes, and astrologically a great deal of my suffering has been related to my Scorpio Moon square Pluto. But I have learned a great deal about suffering as a choice. To have never suffered in one’s life would be either to have been oblivious–clearly not the soldier’s case–or to have a rare combination of wisdom and courage, IMO.

I think most of us start out identifying pain with suffering without question.

I don’t know what it is, but I know I’ve done it. Yeah, I know, about as helpful as the definition of “art” or “porn.” *snert*

I feel like I’ve suffered much more than my real life would warrant. For a long time, I wondered what my problem was. Then, I realized that my feelings often bear no relation to my own life. Sometimes, it’s just in the air, in the collective or whatever, and I’m picking it up. That helped trememdously, to realize that sometimes, there is no ‘why,’ you know?

I attribute this to moon opposite pluto, both square mercury, and a Cancer sun.

I don’t really think I can choose not to suffer, in terms of the heaviness being there. But I can certainly choose how to respond to it, and how to structure my life.

Suffering is chronic pain that cannot be resolved, avoided, or ignored, only accepted. I would say in my lifetime I have suffered. It certainly never felt optional at the time, just something that had to be surrendered to and endured. The ‘choice’ to suffer or not was more about suffering I’d created for myself, and could choose not to create. But sometimes you are simply made to bear suffering, if only to know what it feels like. It has served me and been useful in that it connects me to people instantly, it prevents me from inflicting the same on others, and has made me more compassionate than I might have been otherwise. One thing about suffering, it is unique - people suffer in highly individual ways, no matter who they are, where they are, or how much they appear to have going for them. And they do it silently and alone.

i’ve suffered very little in my life; when losing my family and my stepkids, i suffered. overcoming that was part of my job, i guess. i’m not zen enough to avoid it completely, but it sure doesn’t stick to me. maybe in part because i am always in such a hurry to get it off.

a bit. but most of it was my own making.
what wasn’t, well. made me learn how to protect myself. i eventually managed to be stronger for it.

or so i think nowadays.