In my book there’s a difference between suffering and pain. Suffering is creating pain ABOUT the pain.
We can be in pain.
“We’re in pain. Ok. It sucks now but it’ll pass.”
But we can also resist it and create suffering, by telling our peers, “You have no idea what happened at work today. Bob, who’s an idiot,…”
Now we’re starting to have a problem.
When we create pain about the pain, we officially suffer.
When we create pain about the pain about the pain, we suffer more.
When we create pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain about the pain, we suffer tremendously.
It’s a choice we’re making. A part of us CRAVES drama and suffering.
Eckhart Tolle, the author of Power of Now, talks about “The Pain Body”. Whenever you walk by a newspaper section, take a look at how the dramatic and fearful headlines grab your attention. There’s a part of us that craves this. It’s like dope. And the high of the drama comes with side effects: it changes your view on the world and the people in it.
Drama addiction clutters your lense which will affect your decisions. Eventually it may drive you insane, make choices that’ll lead to pointless stress and make you ill. Your lense is everything.
In my life, as I’m increasing the awareness of how drama is dope, the less it appeals to me – and the less suffering I create for myself.
Don’t be hard on yourself if you catch yourself in resisting and creating suffering. Don’t be hard on yourself when you don’t know how to not resist. Trust me, with an awareness that resistance won’t help, you’re on your way.