Coping with Suffering

Presenting my new book

The corona-virus disease made me think about human suffering. This book is the result.
The following extract from the introductory chapter will give you an idea what the book is like.

Extract:

Life is a constant struggle. It is a struggle against many odds such as the vagaries of nature, threats to health, manmade evils, and an endless list of other things that appear from nowhere. There is no escape from suffering. To be human is to suffer, to endure. This is the first thing we need to accept if we wish to understand life and be as happy as we possibly could.

Even religions teach us the necessity of suffering while believing in omnipotent deities who should theoretically be able to remove suffering from life. The quintessential symbol of Christianity, the cross, is a symbol of suffering. In Christianity, salvation is possible only when the believer is ready to carry out within himself Christ’s destiny of suffering, death, and resurrection. Life is defined as suffering in Buddhism. Since we are not angels and we do not live in Heaven, suffering is inevitable, teaches Islam. We will take a detailed look at this in chapter 4.

Hinduism also gives due importance to suffering. Suffering, both mental and physical, is part of the unfolding of one’s karma. You suffer the consequences of your action. The action might have been committed in a previous birth. Suffering is part of life until you liberate yourself from the physical body and merge into the eternal spirit. Chapter 2 takes a closer look at karma.

In spite of its quintessential optimism and cheerfulness, Islam too accepts the inevitable role of suffering in life. Chapter 3 takes a look at that.

While discussing the views of religion on suffering, Buddhism should take the first place because the Buddha defined life as suffering. He also offered practical suggestions on how we can handle suffering. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the Buddha and his teachings. 

Great thinkers and writers have also taught us about the inevitability of suffering in life. As ancient Persian poet Rumi put it elegantly, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Suffering can lead us to wisdom, in other words. But we have to make ourselves amenable to the lessons that suffering offers.  Chapters 6 and 7 take a philosophical view of suffering, while chapter 9 brings literature into the survey.

Psychology offers us very practical suggestions and chapter 8 will look at some of the most practical among them.

In spite of all the suffering that is there in our world and in spite of the rising influence of religion and spirituality cults, have we become less sensitive, if not blatantly insensitive, to our fellow beings and the planet we inhabit? The concluding chapter deals with that.

This book looks at suffering from different perspectives, in short. We cannot ignore suffering. The question is how to deal with it effectively. We have much to learn from it too.

One of the greatest lessons that suffering offers is personal strength. Tragedy exposes our vulnerability in an unpredictable world, as Kasley Killam says in his book How to Find Meaning in Suffering. We don’t know what awaits us at the next turn in the journey of life. That makes us highly vulnerable. That vulnerability can make us feel weak or helpless as we move on. On the other hand, dealing successfully with whatever comes at each turn can also make us more confident and tough. We become more ready and willing to meet the unforeseen destiny awaiting us beyond the bend on the uncharted road. We grow stronger as we surmount each obstacle. Every victory enables us to take charge of our lives with greater determination and willpower. Every challenge that is overcome in the past is a treasure which we can bank on while dealing with future challenges. Every victory is another layer of strength added to your personal fortress.


The book is available only at Amazon as ebook. You may order your copy here.