Introspection: Are our miseries universal?

Rohit Vadhwana Thursday 26th October 2023 03:28 EDT
 
Hardly there is an individual who has not, is not, or will not face any misery in life. You ask anyone and the person will say how difficult a situation he has gone through or is going through. It's human nature that everyone feels his/her pain is more severe than others. But if we analyze the problems of people, more or less they are similar and have comparable root causes. So the question is: whether our miseries are universal or unique. If they are universal, can there be solutions that can apply to everyone? If not, we need to find out customized solutions for each of the eight billion individuals on this planet. Who suffers will never agree his problem is one of the many. S/he would like to draw your attention to what peculiar situation s/he is going through. As Joseph Joubert wrote, 'Misery is almost always the result of thinking.' The problem arises because of thinking, or rather overthinking and over-analyzing the situation. When a person is in little trouble, s/he would extrapolate it so much that it would almost feel like a disaster. The initial problems of people mostly arise from the existence of related issues, like hunger, clothing, and shelter. Once these basic survival needs are taken care of, then comes the secondary and tertiary level of requirements like profession, social position, friend circle, recognition, saving, luxury, etc. All of them are comparative and one can actually live with very little of them. However, as human beings, we are not merely a living body, but social animals, hence there are various needs and instincts that need to be satisfied. Primarily these needs, desires, and instincts would be the root cause of almost all of the miseries in the society, in human lives. There might be slight variation from individual to individual but mostly a mixture of these issues to varying degrees. However, there might be, very rarely, some issues that could not be resolved by the individual. Help might be available, and it can be taken. Once you identify the root cause of misery, perhaps it becomes easier to deal with the solution. However, one needs to identify his sufferings and find solutions. The point is, that one need not love being in misery, but seek a solution to it, seek freedom from it. If so, there are remedies, and many times they are very simple, known, and easily available. Almost all of the miseries are universal if analyzed to root, and have solutions available to end them. One has to seek it and apply it.

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