“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional” — Haruki Murakami
Suffering is an outcome of physical pain and/or emotional grievance that typically characterises all living beings. The physiological side covers pain that is felt because of the network of nerves throughout the body. Any abnormality like fractures, infections, burns, injuries, etc., detected by certain nerve receptors converts stimulus into signals that indicate the existence of pain. This is important because pain, being a symptom, is crucial for diagnosing disease; otherwise, physical damage to the body could be fatal. Of course, emotional pains, distinct from physical ones, have their own peculiar effects on the living.
Suffering in the form of anguish, torture, tribulation, hardship and adversity is a fundamental aspect of life. It is relevant as well as relative to all beings, including humans and animals, and without prejudice, even things like vegetation and inanimate objects like the earth. It is generally believed that non-breathing elements have no consciousness; therefore, these are not susceptible to suffering. The fact is that atoms are not stationary, as has been proved by science, which means that apparently lifeless objects too have some vibration, although the frequency may be extremely low. If that is so, then there is no reason to discount such objects as not having the capacity to suffer. Anyway, this may be a debatable area which is not of concern right now.
Generally speaking, if there is no suffering, then words like learning, aspirations, defiance and inspiration would become alien in our lives. Many times, hurt is what propels us towards situations that could eventually turn the course of events in our lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Uneasiness on account of ignorance is what forces us to pursue learning, to experiment, to discover and to invent. From the psychological point of view, suffering can either lead to growth, especially when someone can find meaning in it, or conversely, it can be damaging for those who continue to build on past pains and failures. The most meaningful question to get positive answers while suffering is not “Why me?” but “What now?”
The physiological side of suffering is remediable in most cases. Medical journals are full of cases where battered bodies have been restored to their utmost capacity. Extreme instances of disfiguration too have been resolved, sometimes to remarkable degrees. However, it is when suffering is in the nature of emotions that it becomes difficult to handle. Thus, anxiety, depression, shame and existential distress can leave the sufferer with deep scars that can lead to a changed behaviour pattern. Researchers have found that social suffering consequent to relationship conflicts, rejection or loneliness activates the same neural pathways as physical pain, hence constant headaches, fluctuating blood pressure and even the emergence of some diseases like diabetes, stroke or even cancer.
Interestingly, one’s own suffering seems to take on a greater magnitude when compared with others
The long and short of this discussion is that although suffering is inevitable, its impact is totally dependent upon the victims. The same ordeal suffered by, say, five persons could have five different types of effect. Many factors are involved in determining the manner in which each person is likely to approach that incident. While one may curse his luck, another might relapse into shock. As the third tries to find a way out, the fourth may scuffle with others for having brought upon the misfortune, and the fifth may consider it a life lesson, revelling in new-found ideas.
An everyday example of suffering being subjective can be discerned in the case of a labourer and a hi-fi executive, where the former endures hard physical work in scorching summers and harsh winters, and the latter is supposed to take critical decisions but in a climatically comfortable environment. Where the labourer has developed resistance against weather extremes, for the executive, it would be an intolerable suffering. The same holds for household helpers and their well-off employers. Interestingly, one’s own suffering seems to take on a greater magnitude when compared with others.
Suffering is also very relative to individual and collective coping mechanisms. For some, it is fate, while for others, it is a mentor that brings out their inherent capacities and abilities to conquer the past for a better tomorrow. It allows them the opportunity to identify themselves, confront their tribulations with the resolve to find the best solutions. One cannot help but appreciate the way the Japanese people have shown resilience during natural and man-made calamities since 1945. Few nations in the world are gifted with remarkable fortitude in the event of grave crises.
To adorn suffering with a positive sense, Japanese philosophy teaches finding beauty in imperfection, enduring hardship with dignity, repairing broken objects with gold to highlight their history, considering cracks, tears and losses not as flaws but as integral parts of an object or life’s history. Therefore, the world has observed this amazing nation maintain its pride, integrity and honour and that too without complaining when faced with unforetold catastrophic events. They keep adapting to suffering through a blend of approaches they have mastered in dealing with difficulties.
Pakistanis too have proven to be one of the most robust nations in the world as they emerge from crisis after crisis, but with the only exception that they fail to garner lessons from their suffering, which is mostly on account of repetitive mistakes. From politicians to bureaucracy, from the elite to the ordinary people, there seems to be no desire to confront shortcomings and weaknesses in the prevailing system of governance, polity, economy and social uplift, because of which suffering has become a permanent symptom with no clue to curing this illness.