Suffering

There is suffering in this world. I don’t believe there would be much debate about that. What is of great interest are the causes of suffering. These include obvious causes such as famine, war, disease, domestic violence and crime. The list does not stop there. You probably have many more that come to mind when you think about it.

What about attachment as a cause of suffering? When we become so attached to things in our lives and those things don’t go the way we would like them to (relationships being a good example, or other
people’s behaviour) then we suffer. We become upset when someone doesn’t greet us or when our relationship doesn’t grow into the kind of relationship we imagined we would be a part of. Mostly we cling to the status quo. When we do that, suffering is inevitable because change is inevitable. Everything changes and one of the few objective truths is that everything is impermanent. So what can you do to limit this form of suffering? Let go. Surrender what you hold so tight to the Universe/God/Higher Power/The Way and let it be what it is. If your relationship isn’t working out the way you would like it to, let go of your idea of how that relationship should be and see it for what it is. It is the same with other people. If they don’t behave the way you would like them to, let go of that notion of how they ought to
behave and accept the way they do behave.

This is not to say that you must like the way things change. Not at all. What I am attempting to convey is that you may be better served by letter do of your expectations and accepting the way things are and
adjusting your behaviour accordingly. If you disapprove of how a friend treats you, perhaps you should re-evaluate that friendship and consider whether remaining in that relationship serves you and is healthy for you both.

What also begins to happen when you let go of your expectations is that you begin to work through your fears. After all, fears are False Expectations Appearing Real as well as False Evidence Appearing Real.