Suffering

Suffering, self-attack, and internal resistance are not presented as the person's core identity. Being oneself is contrasted with suffering because it requires no energy. Emotional pain sources such as heartbreak, loss, fear, anger, and feelings of unfairness are universally shared human experiences. Multiple simultaneous fractures created complex, constant pain during recovery from severe accidents. Suffering is described as inauthentic because maintaining it requires substantial energy. The approach emphasizes observing suffering carefully without resisting it. Pain in some form is inevitable for all people, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. Pain cannot always be avoided, but suffering can be consciously chosen or refused. Suffering, unlike pain, is optional because it depends on how a person relates to and interprets pain. Allowing suffering to exist without resistance is presented as causing it to shift and change naturally. The article frames suffering as a universal human experience.