Are we supposed to suffer in order to learn?

I know we are supposed to suffer in order to learn, When a person who appears to be innocent seems to have experienced terrible suffering is this due to the choices made in previous lives or is it to learn? For example, a child that is abused. In my small mind I can't fathom that being a learning experience therefore is it punishment for a past life???

D.R

There is no punishments in the Universe. People CHOOSE themselves specific life in which they suffer, simply because they messed up many times before - they were hurting others. They wanted to LEARN and UNDERSTAND how it feels and how to overcome the behavior that hurts others.

They choose life in such circumstances that REMIND them the lesson.

It is like they have a bad habit that they do not like and they try to correct it. Some of them choose a HARD lesson in the hope to progress faster.

The beauty of the system is this that suffering stops almost immediately when people truly understand their lesson...

Tom

I found that positive growth can definitely can come out of times of trouble. I have been faced with a child having a disability, the death of a father at age 4, a car crash, near mental breakdown and desire to suicide, and have seen many of the not so pretty aspects of everyday living but looking back I am pretty happy that I have learnt though these experiences such as not being so judgemental of others, learning that there is a more 'spiritual' side to us, we are not just flesh and blood, and I have matured a hell of a lot more and become stronger and more aware of others around me and the realisation that material wealth and possessions are nothing compared to the love and acceptance of people around you. I think it is necessary to experience hardships to have a greater understanding of what is really important in our lives.

Kim

We can only appreciate bliss and a happy existence when we understand REASONS and consequences of suffering. Contrasts are essential for our perception.

Learning to make CHOICES that minimize suffering of the Self and others seems to be the most practical way of making conscious progress in the Universe.

Tom

Dear Tom, According to your book and way of Thinking - we have free of choice, we are made with love and for love, to achieve harmony and happyness so we can and shouldn't choose suffering... but when it happens, I think what we sould, or have to do is to understand the cause, and solve it, then when we overcome it, we get higher...not because we suffered but because we solved the problem that we had created. Even about Great Leaders suffering, like Christ, I think it can be explain or changed in a completly different way, I'm working on it in order to get there...I realy would like to know what do you think about all this, where / why am I wrong?

Bernardete

You are doing fine. You are just trying to understand it for yourself and your conclusions are very similar to mine. Please read the discussion above.

PS. When you try to find something, use the SEARCH facility of this Forum. This topic was found by searching for "suffer".

Tom