finding meaning amidst suffering

When life gets messy, when things don’t work out, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to figure out a purpose, big or small, find meaning in our suffering, and do little positive things every day that improve our circumstances.

Suffering is an inevitable part of our lives. We all experience different levels and kinds of suffering from time to time and in those times most of us question why we are the ones who need to go through them. Maybe the suffering that we are going through is because of a choice that we made, or it may be because of a grander plan that we simply don’t know about. But as the darkness of suffering surrounds us, we can always find the light of meaning in it. Not only will it dispel the darkness but it will also alleviate our pain to some extent. As Viktor Frankl writes in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, “In some ways suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”

As we suffer, our goal is to simply find meaning in it. Once we do that, we become tolerant and gain better endurance. If there’s one key truth we must internalize and understand it’s this: Suffering is a core aspect of life and happiness. As we change our perception towards suffering and know that it’s an important and even essential part of human life, we make our peace with it and become more hospitable towards it. Because without suffering, we won’t be able to find meaning and clarity, and experience what true happiness really feels like.