Suffering

Frankl’s poignant memoir revealed the anguishing yet vital aspects of suffering. Suffering, in itself, is universal, yet also exclusive. What I mean by this is that everyone suffers, it is inevitable. Suffering, however, takes on a different form and demands a different ailment from person to person. Because suffering is unique in every person, it only makes sense that it plays a different role in people’s life.

Throughout time, suffering has obtained a dominant negative connotation. This makes sense because if one suffers, they are going through a lot of pain. The act of suffering is bad but the aftermath does not always have to be. As this differs from person to person, I believe that out of suffering can sprout personal growth. In order to live a happy life, people must learn how to deal with suffering since it is an essential part of life. Just as joys shape people, so does suffering. And many times, in moments of suffering people find themselves. This is because when suffering, many people are left or feel as if they are left with nothing. Thus, they must build themselves back up. The person who they are afterwards is usually not the person who they were before, and this is because after one has suffered, it is like they acquired glasses that show the world in another light. In the case of Gloucester, suffering allowing him to see beyond Edmund’s facade (ironically, he lost his vision) and was, thus, released from living in the lie that Edmund built. While he was left with pain for betraying Edgar, suffering allowed him to see the truth and soon led him in the arms of Edgar.

Persevering from suffering, however, is another story. I was very intrigued when reading how Frankl dealt with some of the hardships in the camps. I agree with Frankl that love can help one through suffering. Suffering, as I said before, can make the world seem desolate but love can fill an empty room. This is the case with Frankl when he talked to his wife in his head. Although she was not there, the love they shared for one another was present and this emotion combatted the ones produced by his suffering. Recently, I read a book titled Hideaway by Dean Koontz. While one of the characters, Regina, was in the captivity of a wicked serial killer in his dungeon like hideaway filled with corpses (I know, quite gruesome), she (ironically) escapes into her own mental hideaway that could not be more different than her captors’. Her hideaway, similar to Frankl’s, was filled with things she loves: her bedroom, the fragrant smell of roses, and more. While in her mental hideaway, not a single part of her was in reality. This allowed her to survive the moment. Thus, I think that in order to survive suffering, one must hold on to love. One way that love is important in moments of suffering is that it is a distractor. When Frankl was at the camp working in below freezing levels on a stomach that has been empty for countless months, the image of his wife takes him away from his suffering and transports him to a time marked with love. While love cannot help everyone when suffering, and sometimes even causes more pain, I think that love is a great escape from suffering.