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Now... enjoy the read before you...

It's inevitable... For most, suffering is a curse that never leaves, for others, its a force worth forgetting, a burden best ignored — for most, suffering is a dread. But what if, what if for only a moment we suspend our beliefs and realise a new paradigm. One that supports rather than hinders, one that pushes rather than pulls, one that brings life up rather than weigh life down. With deeper thought, suffering is a blessing, a trial to deem those who are worthy of their desires, a test to shake those with a fake purpose. But most importantly, a hidden call leading towards that which you are truly for. For when you have found what's worth suffering for, the value it holds becomes the discipline you pay, and its the path of suffering which once felt so bleak, that now holds great promise and new-found joy.
~ THOUGHT ONE

My very first thought in a series I call Contemplations.

I've written many essay before, but this was the first articulation I plucked out of my mind and marked with "THOUGHT ONE" so I think that has to hold some weight.

Why did I choose suffering first?

At that moment in time, I was at immense peace with life, felt so much purpose, and had so much joy. Sadness had no time to catch up with me!

So why did I subconsciously choose to write about suffering?

Well, I'll talk about that reason exactly. Explain what that thought actually conveys. Work through some real life examples and how we can use this knowledge to ascend areas of our life.

All in this blog.

So keep reading!

Suffering's Bad Reputation

Suffering has a really, and I mean really bad rep. So let me flip it on it's head.

When we hear the word suffering, we instinctively recoil. Remembering all our past suffering, and dreading the suffering yet to come, we associate suffering with pain, loss, and despair. And nothing else.

Whether it was todays frustrations at work, or last years broken heart; tomorrows awkward meeting, or next years finals exam.

We have all had experiences with suffering.

So why then, if suffering seems so bad, did it come to my mind when I was at most peace?

Because, I knew - at that point I had realised something that changed my entire life. I realised that suffering was a blessing.

I realised suffering wasn't bad, or inherently evil. Instead, that it was the path to fulfilment and the reason to be happy. I realised that suffering for a task means greater return in the future.

IF you let it.

Stop seeing your tasks as burdens. See them as bridges. See them as sacred steps on the path. Without those tasks, without those obstacles towards your goal, how could you ever reach your goal?

Do you think a professional footballer achieved their greatness without suffering aching muscles, almost-brutal routines, restrictive diet, failure or something along the lines?

Do you think great businessmen achieved their greatness without suffering loss, betrayal, sleepless nights, and years of uncertainty?

Do you think world-class artists created timeless pieces without suffering self-doubt, rejection, isolation, or being misunderstood?

Do you think spiritual leaders found peace without suffering through crisis, collapse, and the dark night of the soul?

Do you think a loving parent raises a child without suffering exhaustion, fear, and the silent sacrifices no one ever thanks them for?

Greatness never blooms in comfort. It is carved—slowly, painfully—by those who choose to rise when it’s easier to sink.

So no, suffering isn’t the enemy. Complacency is. Bitterness is.
Suffering can break you, yes. But it can also build you, if you let it.

The difference is in what you do with it.

Avoiding suffering

Furthermore, the more we opt out of immediate suffering, directed at a goal, the more we suffer in the future without that said goal.

And if you don't think that goal is worth suffering for - meditate a greater goal.

Believe me, once you meditate and clear your mind, the true weight of peace and distraction start to become extremely apparent. Your values will shift, and you'll realise which one you want on your plate. For, only one will push you toward purpose and grant you stable happiness.

Try one day of voluntary deprivation. A reset. A personal fast of the body, mind, and noise.

No food.
No water.
No talking.
No reading.
No human interaction.

Just you, in your room, meditating with a pencil and paper for any notes.

Sit with yourself, tackle your problems.

Learn to be patient and roam your mind with tenderness.

From here you'll learn that suffering isn't hard if you love what you're suffering for. And if you're suffering for your future self's greatness, and if you love yourself, suffering for it is easy.

Greater Suffering

I understand there are sufferings in this world that are so much worse than you and I will ever go through. Pains and hardships you and I can't even simulate in our mind.

But even with this fact, one thing stands true.

Even those who have gone through hell have risen to their tops.

Who am I to tell someone who has suffered worse than I, that they should buckle and let their suffering cripple them? I'd lend my hand, give them tenderness, and support their reckoning! Because it is only the ego that satiates when you comfort someone to complacency. And it's only loving who support those struggling worse than you, and it's the wise who smile when they succeed...

So whilst there is intentional suffering, that is easier to control and gain purpose from, there is also imposed suffering. Which is harder to gain purpose from but not impossible.

Let's take this example.

There was a teenage girl named Malala. At age 15 she had but a backpack, and a dream. And she never never shut up about it.

Malala spoke out about something simple: that girls deserve to go to school. That’s it.

For that, she was shot in the head.

But she refused to die. In fact, her voice got louder. Her passions grew stronger. Her resistance grew unstoppable.

From her hospital bed, she kept speaking. From a wheelchair, she kept writing. And when she finally stood again, she stood taller than before. Her courageous acts and indefatigable spirit won her the Nobel Peace Prize. She faced death and said, "I choose to keep going."

There are many things to learn from her. But one thing is clear:

Suffering didn't destroy her. It made her unstoppable.

She didn’t just survive her suffering. She turned it into a mission. Her pain became her platform.

For when you have found what's worth suffering for, the value it holds becomes the discipline you pay, and its the path of suffering which once felt so bleak, that now holds great promise and new-found joy.

So maybe suffering isn’t a curse at all. Maybe it’s your calling in disguise. And maybe, just maybe, the path that hurts is the path that heals.

But I'll let you on a secret about mindset, suffering only hurts if you view it as pain.

I hope this piece challenged you — or at least made you rethink suffering’s role in your life. As I evolve, so might these ideas, and so I might edit this essay.

But for now? This is my truth as I know it.

Thank you for reading. Go forth and suffer strategically.

Much love,
—Sebastian