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eclecticsophie submitted a contest entry to If you could send one message you learned about life to every person in the world, what would it be? 1 months ago
The Duality of Suffering
The duality of suffering is so fascinating to me. Mainly because It shapes a huge chunk of my existence. Life and death, addiction and sobriety, heartbreak and unconditional love. I’ve lived these all simultaneously. The pain of my suffering doesn’t go away nor can it be replaced, but the joy and compassion I feel from loved ones brings a whole new experience to my life. I’m grateful for the ones I love, and the shoulders I cry on. The laughter and smiles I witness, and the ones they get out of me. Thank you to those who laugh with me at 2am, and eat breakfast with me in bed. The friends who have shown me what the meaning of family truly is.
Suffering is existential, but it doesn’t always have to be that we are inherently in pain. This duality of Yin and Yang, the two sides of one coin, light and dark, pain and pleasure; it’s all the same concept. It is all Oneness. I believe if you can grasp the idea of your suffering having two personalities, two timelines within the same universe, and embrace both as passionately and sincerely as you can then that is when growth and healing develop. In my experiences through trauma and unexpected life changes, I have become aware of the fact that when I embraced only the discomfort of that suffering, I did not move forward. I moved deeper into a darker place. A place ten times harder to escape than the initial event. As I’ve progressed in life, spiritually and psychologically, to be specific, I’ve learned to accept the happiness and joys as well. Not denying myself the opportunity to laugh at a friend’s joke, to smile at a loved one, to make memories that leave a everlasting glow on my heart.
I’ve encountered life changing deaths of loved ones throughout my, now, 28 years of living. Losing my mother was heartbreaking. I fell deep into darkness. A hole I have been digging myself out of for 13 years. My best friend passed away recently this year, 2024, and that shoved me right back down. But something was different this time. I’m older, I’ve done a lot of spiritual and psychological healing and I refuse to live in fear again. The duality of my healing has had a profound impact on my mental health and my motivation for life itself.
Instead of just focusing on the depression and letting it control and consume me, I have learned to redirect my energy towards things that are productive but bring a sense of calmness to my body and mind. The most interesting aspect of this transition, that I’ve experienced, is that when I’ve written a poem, using it as a tool for healing, my words are quite melancholic and heavy hearted; yet I felt an immense sense of accomplishment and peace. This is a testament of the ability to heal and grow through the chains of suffering. To have a clear set of opposing perspectives on what it means to suffer and embracing both simultaneously. To break this down in simpler terms, the message of my poem may be full of my pain and trauma but it’s the act of writing that causes me to experience joy and peace at the same time. The darkness within my writing is one of the biggest forms of my inner healing.
I’ve embraced the duality of suffering. I have learned to harness the dichotomy of grief and growth and create a sense of oneness. I implore you to challenge your fears, learn to embrace the darkness through the light and harness the power that resides within you. Feel your pain and simultaneously experience peace by turning that energy into an action of productivity and passion.
I have learned that living is all about balance. That we are all just a scale constantly teetering and shifting weight.
It is up to us to keep that weight stable and maintain the symmetry of life.
Voting starts November 5, 2024 12:00am
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I agree that there is a duality with pain and suffering. The pain teaches you a lesson. It’s hard to grasp that when you are in that moment. Looking inside and finding that message is a strong motivator. To find the balance in the negative events that ripple and have a positive effect.
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