Elevating the Human Experience

Chapter 4Suffering

Someone who can understand our suffering is our best friend.

—Thich Nhat Hanh

The Human Experience

The human experience is suffering. Every religious tradition, every culture has its way of articulating the unmistakable fact of suffering. My childhood self marveled at the bloody gore of Jesus Christ nailed to the crucifix in front of an otherwise clean and tidy altar at church. I often wondered, where did all the blood go? Who had to clean it up? I learned that he suffered and died on that cross to identify with the suffering of humanity. In the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, the first truth is that suffering simply is. It cannot be taken away so long as we live. As we exist, so too does suffering. We suffer because our human nature is imperfect. The world we live in is imperfect. Our bodies break down into sickness, injury, and frailty. These are unavoidable. And we suffer, too, because our experience of existence also brings the possibility of great joy and great happiness, all of which too pass away. The more we cling to or crave these fleeting moments of bliss and attempt to avoid or push pain away, the more in turn we bring on the cycle of suffering and loss.

Suffering doesn't know the boundaries of our personal or professional selves. We bring our suffering selves to work each day. And we suffer because of our work. Not just because it can be difficult or unpleasant at times, but because we do not feel like we can show up with our whole selves. ...