Happiness & suffering – The Economic Times

We all want to be happy and there are many books and teachers in the world that try to help people be happier. Yet, we all continue to suffer. Therefore, we may think that we’re ‘doing it wrong’. That isn’t true. Being able to enjoy happiness doesn’t require that we have zero suffering. In fact, the art of happiness is also the art of suffering well. When we learn to acknowledge, embrace and understand our suffering, we suffer much less. And, we’re also able to go further and transform our suffering into understanding, compassion, and joy for ourselves and for others.

One of the most difficult things for us to accept is that there is no realm where there’s only happiness and no suffering. This doesn’t mean that we should despair. Suffering can be transformed. As soon as we say ‘suffering’, we know that the opposite of suffering is there as well. Where there is suffering, there is happiness.

According to the creation story in the biblical book of Genesis, God said, ‘Let there be light.’ I like to imagine that light replied, ‘God, I have to wait for my twin brother, darkness, to be with me. I can’t be there without the darkness.’ God asked, ‘Why do you need to wait? Darkness is there.’ Light answered, ‘In that case, I’m also already there.’

The art of happiness is at the same time the art of knowing how to suffer well. If we know how to use our suffering, we can transform it and suffer much less. Knowing how to suffer well is essential to realising true happiness.