LEARNING FROM GREAT PEOPLE WHO LIVED THROUGH SUFFERING

When considering how to live happily, everything comes back to how you confront the suffering that you face in the course of your life.

Life is like a workbook of problems to be solved, and each of you is given challenges that are appropriate for your soul. It is the way in which you overcome these trials that reveals your true nature. The suffering you experience in life shows you clearly what kind of spiritual training you are going through and what is most important for you.

The word “distress” brings to mind an image of the life of the composer Beethoven. Imagine the suffering he must have endured, continuing to compose music while he was losing his hearing. No one would want a life as difficult as Beethoven’s, but he was a man who always gave of his utmost and whose soul undoubtedly gave out light.

More recently, we have the example of Helen Keller. If we were to compare Helen Keller to Napoleon or Goethe, it would not be easy to say who was of greater stature.

There were probably few nights when the Emperor Napoleon was able to sleep peacefully. Similarly the great writer and statesman Goethe seemed to have many sleepless nights. He said that the number of days of real happiness in his whole life would not add up to more than one month.

Why is Helen Keller’s life considered as admirable as the lives of other great figures? I would say it is because of her attitude; despite the great adversities she suffered, she made a constant effort to find the wonder in everything.

When people are healthy and their lives flow smoothly, they have a tendency to look at what is lacking. However, if they were to find themselves unable to see or hear or speak, all that would be left would be the fact of being alive. It is important to realize that the very fact of being given life is amazing.

I have heard that sometimes people who have lost their sight dream only in sounds, and always in darkness. But they are still alive and even in such adverse circumstances they are able to grasp the true meaning of life. From time to time, you need to look at yourself and learn from the examples of those who lived through great hardship.

What is the cause of your suffering? In many cases, it is some trifling, emotional conflict. Perhaps you often compare yourself with others, and experience pain recognizing a gap that exists. The cause of most suffering is conflict with others.

However, you will never be able to free yourself of suffering as long as you compare yourself to others, because if you look back at your past or look around you, there is always someone to envy. This is true for everyone.

From "An Unshakable Mind" by Ryuho Okawa