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We Need to Understand—Not Just Eliminate—Suffering
I enjoyed this article by Katherine Boyle so very much. It reflects what I’ve been learning as I slowly work my way through the book Suffering and Virtue by philosopher Michael Brady. (I will eventually write a newsletter article about that book.)
“Though we may not realize it, nearly all of our modern cultural debates and ailments stem from the contemporary belief that suffering is not a natural or essential part of the human condition. The war on suffering has not only robbed us of resilience; it has sold us a mirage that is making us miserable.”
If suffering is only to be eliminated, then we miss out on what it also produces that’s good. Post-traumatic growth, for example, is impossible without suffering. The ways we respond to suffering need to be far more thoughtful and nuanced than just making sure it never happens, which is impossible anyway.
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