I often find myself in an awkward situation. I read or hear about some sad or tragic occurrence that absolutely breaks my heart, but I don't share it with anyone.
The reason in those circumstances is that there's really nothing anyone can do about it. I probably would if it were something that required people to know about it so that collective action could be taken to try to prevent further instances, but a lot of things don't feel like they fit in that category.
They're just part of those things that scar you emotionally by hearing about them. I don't want to anyone else to feel such pain, knowing that's what I am feeling. I at least take a little comfort knowing I haven't passed that trauma on.
It scares me sometimes how much that collection of painful tidbits grows. There's so much suffering unseen. When I become aware of it, I try to honor the living being that experienced it with my own remembrance, but in the end, that really amounts to nothing.
Through the process of evolution, much of life is nasty, brutish, and short. I'm quite glad for those moments of contentment and happiness, but also recognize just how deprived of such things any living creature can be.
So it goes.
I just finished watching The Ballad of Buster Scruggs on Netflix. I found I was troubled by the segment (the film is a collection of vignettes) "The Girl Who Got Rattled." It was bittersweet in a way that will linger with me, as it deals with the lasting impact of choices combined with fate.
While it is life affirming to be moved so, it also involves the scarring (even from a work of fiction) mentioned in the original post.
one of the worst things about old age is the realization of all the inequity & suffering in this world & the utter inability to do anything about it.
although i suppose that in a very small way we could make a tiny difference.
Life's accumulated baggage can be heavy, I've seen references to fictional vampires who proposed that immortality was a curse because you had to watch everyone else suffer and decay. Sometimes in my darker moments that does seem a compelling argument.
I agree that life can seem nasty, brutish and short and there’s nothing that can be done about it. Nothing can be done because nature is actually the way it is supposed to be, neither good nor bad, just as it is. We have a choice of how to look at nature, and my choice is to view it as dazzlingly mysterious and beautiful and worthy of the utmost awe and adulation.
From time to time we are brushed by the whims of fate and we suffer. Suffering is a state of mind, not bad, just necessary. IMO it is useful to develop some callouses, to become emotionally blunted to some degree. Suppose you were an EMT on an ambulance crew. You’d be face to face with traumatic events daily—same with surgeons. In order to function and do their jobs those people have to be tough emotionally.
At times when I feel stressed or traumatized, I have learned to draw support from other people. Just a simple exchange of communication seems to work wonders. And I am learning not to exacerbate painful events through the thinking of untrue thoughts about the event. It might be true that a person is suffering—it is not true that there is no future or that there’ll never be happiness again.
The ultimate misfortune is to suffer and die, but that happening is 100% certain to occur—hell, at some point the entire earth will be engulfed by the sun. The only thing that matters is the perpetuation of conscious awareness, but in ultimate reality beyond our bubble of symbols, time has no meaning, and consciousness is immortal by default.
That’s my opinion.
some ppl avoid the suffering.
I understand this feeling.
It's true that there's nothing our sadness can do to help someone who has suffered a tragedy. But, it can inspire us to spread happiness by making someone's day better, by lending a helping hand or offering an ear when needed.
It's easy to focus on the tragedies that have already happened. The present is the only time to inject joy into our own lives, that of others and possibly prevent tragedies in the future.
When I feel saddened by these occurrences I go out of my way to make the world a little better. It doesn't require much and then I feel better too.
I attempt to learn from those like yourself. They’ve a wisdom and experience that often eludes me. Actually take cues from a neighbor; he doesn't know it, and appears to have reached both the level of understanding and discipline you have. I think it’s an awareness that comes with age..