I Wish Things Were Simpler

To each life a little rain must fall. To the observant however it seems that the good people get more than their fair share. This is because of their willingness to suffer. They have learned that you can not avoid suffering no matter how creative you get in trying to do so, as it doesn't go away and only comes around in another form. We then develop neurosis and neurosis is not a substitute for legitimate suffering, eventually the neurosis becomes worse then the suffering it was meant to avoid. If we are to move forward then we need to examine the suffering and ourselves, some we unwittingly have brought on ourselves and some is just what happens in life. In either case we need to get the lesson in order to move on.
Suffering forces us to search deep within us, we become self aware and in our awareness we can see how we can be cruel and self centered and remain clueless. We also see our deep fears, they have been there so long it has become the norm. While facing our fears seems more frightening then the fear we currently live with we must realize that in our fear we control others and they control us. The only way to get rid of this fear is to face it head on.
Suffering is the catalyst for our wisdom and our courage, no longer will we control others or will others control us but we will be independent which makes us powerful and in that power we can love the world and have true compassion.
The journey is long and hard but if we are to ever be at peace we need to take it and accept it. Namaste!

The calmness which he carries inside himself, and which is apparent in all his bearing, has not arisen out of nothing. It has come to him out of long struggle and after varied suffering. Paul Brunton