What Ever Happened to Voluntary Suffering? - Suffering for Something Afterwards

 

What Ever Happened to Voluntary Suffering?

Suffering for Something Afterwards

By Adam Mundorf

Asceticism - Severe self-discipline and avoidance of all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.

What Happened to Voluntary Suffering?
Put on a jacket, you're going to get cold.  What's wrong with being a bit cold?  Turn on the air conditioner, it's getting hot in here.  What's wrong with being a bit hot?  You haven't eaten in hours, have a meal!  What's wrong with being a bit hungry?

There is nothing wrong with being cold because cold makes the warmth feel nicer.  There is nothing wrong with being hot because hot makes the cold feel nicer.  Being hungry makes meals more satisfying and fulfilling.  Yin and Yang.  In America we have far too much of the Yin without the Yang.  Our bellies are always full, our houses are warm in the winter and cold in the summer.  A little is good, too much will lead to complacency and lack of gratitude.

Before I begin the next section I want to be clear that I don't subscribe blindly to Christian beliefs but I do believe that the Bible has fantastic examples of how to live your life.

"Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

Suffering for Something Afterwards
The path that leads to a fulfilling life is difficult and demands going against the grain.  The above verse from Matthew demonstrates perfectly what I mean.  Being seen as an outcast is almost a prerequisite for being righteous within a sinful and non-virtuous world.  Sure, you can bend to society's ideals and live a comfortable life but is it a life worth living?  Aha!  That's what I'm getting at.  A life worth living and going into the next life or permanently dying knowing that you wrung this metaphorical sponge for all it's worth.  I leave you with this poem by Robert Frost :

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