Should we alleviate suffering?

[PurpleTree]

If suffering often causes people to  get more conscious (which some say), should we alleviate suffering for ourselves and others?  Or let them suffer and hope they awaken.
 

Also why are we sometimes addicted to our suffering. Is it just because the ego finds some sick enjoyment in it?

 

Seems like in Buddhism for example they often talk about how to create less suffering ( don‘t know a lot about buddhism btw)

[Moksha]

Suffering is a crossroads to enlightenment, not a direct path. When faced with suffering, some people take the path that winds up the mountain of awareness, while others take the path that plunges them further into darkness. It is ultimately a test of readiness, sincerity, courage, and intent.

The ego needs suffering in order to survive. It is energized by your resistance to the moment, and by your attempts to cling to the moment instead of letting it freely pass through you. When you live in a flow state, the ego deflates because it has nothing to feed it.

There is no value in seeking suffering. Life will bring it to you in abundance. Instead, focus on preparing yourself to learn the secret of suffering, which begins with the realization that you are not the thoughts, the feelings, or the experiences that induce suffering. Your true nature is unconditional spaciousness, and when you directly realize it, you will be free.

[Breakingthewall]

the vast majority of humans, once they leave childhood behind, settle into a life of suffering, to a greater or lesser extent. Memories, fears, complexes, rejections, frustration, decadence, depression. the only way out of that misery is to wake up, and hardly anyone is awake. if you wake up, you settle in the now, and joy arises. The issue now is to wake up deeper, to erase more of the disease that being human means.

[Basman]

Most human suffering is due to a lack of resources. Raising the standard of living would help people become more spiritually attuned if anything. 

Its worth considering that people who attain a sense of awakening from suffering or just in general might have a predispotion towards spiritual growth. To what degree does genetics play a role for example? There's no guarantee that suffering will awaken anyone (which it tends not to IMO). 

Addiction to suffering, or negative emotion, is a documented phenomena. In short, it's a cyclical pattern of thinking and interpreting through the lens of a past trauma. That cycle is maintained by fear and uncertainty of your ability to handle something outside that lens. Suffering in this sense can breed familiarity, which is itself comforting if you're particularily fearful of the outside world. The tragic part of  an addiction to suffering is that it keeps you away from the kind of positive experiences you want. A lifetime of trauma will wreck your trust of the world.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Basman