4 ms·

I sometimes wonder if struggle is necessary for joy. What if we had no struggle, and everything we wanted we instantly had? Something tells me that life would

I sometimes wonder if struggle is necessary for joy. What if we had no struggle, and everything we wanted we instantly had? Something tells me that life would be zapped of its meaning and pleasure. Suffering, even pain, are like the opposite side of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other, so when facing struggles, try to view it as such; the necessary component in a fulfilling life.

mdturnerphys 4y ago
Since others have brought up religion already, I'll mention that your thoughts here are very similar to a passage in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:11-12 (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?id=p11-p12&lang=eng#p11 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-...).
somesortofthing 4y ago
> Suffering, even pain, are like the opposite side of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other, so when facing struggles, try to view it as such; the necessary component in a fulfilling life. This is true to some limited extent, but it seems wrong to think of the distinction between happiness is suffering as entirely or even mostly about contrast. For example, consider a person who has, through some combination of disability, misfortune, and the malice of others, never had any positive moments in their entire life. If you had the power to do so, would it be unnecessary to help them out of their situation? After all, they have no happy memories to contrast their situation against. If you can't guarantee that they won't return to their previous situation, a contrast-based view implies that you would actually be doing harm by putting their past and future suffering into perspective. When you have no say over what happens to you, contrasting a painful present with a pleasant past is a valuable coping mechanism, but it's also important to not justify suffering(especially the suffering of others) on such grounds in general terms. To be clear, I'm not accusing you of doing that, just talking about what I've heard from other people on the topic.
tetris11 4y ago
Suffering with meaning or purpose usually as a necessary sacrificial step that leads to Joy would be fulfilling. Suffering by random forces and then Joy from other random voices can only teach you the lesson that life does not care about you, or that you are a mere observer of your own destiny. Humbling, sure, but not very inspiring.

mdturnerphys 4y ago

Since others have brought up religion already, I'll mention that your thoughts here are very similar to a passage in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 2:11-12 (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?id=p11-p12&lang=eng#p11 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-...).

somesortofthing 4y ago

> Suffering, even pain, are like the opposite side of the same coin. You can’t have one without the other, so when facing struggles, try to view it as such; the necessary component in a fulfilling life. This is true to some limited extent, but it seems wrong to think of the distinction between happiness is suffering as entirely or even mostly about contrast. For example, consider a person who has, through some combination of disability, misfortune, and the malice of others, never had any positive moments in their entire life. If you had the power to do so, would it be unnecessary to help them out of their situation? After all, they have no happy memories to contrast their situation against. If you can't guarantee that they won't return to their previous situation, a contrast-based view implies that you would actually be doing harm by putting their past and future suffering into perspective. When you have no say over what happens to you, contrasting a painful present with a pleasant past is a valuable coping mechanism, but it's also important to not justify suffering(especially the suffering of others) on such grounds in general terms. To be clear, I'm not accusing you of doing that, just talking about what I've heard from other people on the topic.

tetris11 4y ago

Suffering with meaning or purpose usually as a necessary sacrificial step that leads to Joy would be fulfilling. Suffering by random forces and then Joy from other random voices can only teach you the lesson that life does not care about you, or that you are a mere observer of your own destiny. Humbling, sure, but not very inspiring.