Is life worth Suffering?
4 simple little words - 1 big big question.
I think it's a very individual being-specific answer.
If someone (human or otherwise) is living a fulfilling life with pleasures and love and contentment, and the suffering is minimal, the answer is easy... YES
If someone's life is horrible with no pleasure or love or contentment, only suffering, pain, torture (physical & mental), hate, and with no hope that ever changing, the answer is probably No.
There is, however, a vast continuum between those two points and everyone is somewhere on that continuum with some degree of Yes and No. Each individual assesses, for themselves, their personal situation and where they fall on that line... how close they are to the Yes or No.
For me, it's a day by day, sometimes moment by moment evaluation.
So far, I've come up with "Yes" more often than not.
So my answer, at least at for today, is "Yes".
That seems another way of asking the existential question of whether life is worth living or not and should one then commit suicide if it is not?
hmm kind of, I asked this question because I have studied a little about Nihilism, and read a couple of books written by Nihilist authors like Albert Camus and Nietzsche,
beside that I believe in Nihilism too, I think they are right in some points, life is not worth suffering, but it worth living for some
@Noor92 Best to read Nietzsche as a wild ride than take his conjectures to heart. Some real gems there but try not to get sucked in. A fascinating personality and tremendous, evocative thinking, but certainly nothing to hang your hat on. Unfortunately the hype goeth before the man!
A reread of Camus is probably in order also with a positive mindset. Camus is about developing internal strength. Try with that reading and you will find that his texts are not nihilistic but life affirming, even Sysiphus. Here are some Camus quotes that might give some insight into his thinking
I guess that would be determined by the kind of suffering and if there was going to be an end to it, or if your entire life was going to be great suffering. I am sure there are people in many 3rd world countries where life is nothing but suffering that they would say NO, it is not worth it.
Yes, life is worth living if you are not suffering, but it is not worth suffering
YOU BET YOUR sweet ass it is...NEED you ask???
Have you been born by your choice?
@Noor92 HHHHMMMMM...I believe I was...YES.
Having been ill for the past fifteen months, I have had more than my fair share of time to contemplate your question. Despite my attempt to internalize the Buddhist underpinning that life IS suffering, I still struggled mightily to convince myself that what I was going through was worth it. I also tried to remind myself that my suffering was temporary, that someday I wouldn't feel quite as defeated as I had felt every single day for almost a year and a half.
Had I had no hope for recovery, I would have asked Palliative Care to take me off of the drugs that were keeping me alive, and just focus on managing my pain so that I could die peacefully.
I suppose quality of life is the key issue, and when humans are suffering, they're typically unhappy and ready to call it a life.
Didn't mean to over-personalize my response, just really feeling your question.
I am so sorry to hear of your illness, and you really are brave that you are fighting, I hope you get well soon. and the goodness is that as you said it is temporary, and I am sure you will have a happy and wonderful life after recovery, but there are people like me whose suffering never ends.
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