Teachings,+Human+Suffering,+the+product+of+Human+Selfishness

=Human Suffering, the Prodict of Human Selfishness= (By Sam)(ael) (Return to Teachings)

When you think about how much suffering there is in the world you may see a lot or a little. Many of us have seen plenty within the four walls of our Ivory towers here in America or the other Wealthy nations.

Let me assure you: There is more.

In brief, there is still a small slave trade in America the land of the free, In India many, many children just don't have families and are preyed upon by anything bigger than them and exploited of labor and other unspeakable services. In Africa More children are likely to get aids than complete a 3rd grade education. In many of the nations of the middle east arranged marriage is forced and this is the good part because parents have the 'right' to murder their children and husbands have the right to burn their wives for any perceived sleight. Now if you really want to live this way, than by al means do, but these people were offered no choice.

Think of all of the abusive parents and older siblings. The things Governments do to their people and other peoples.

Plenty of suffering and we have not even started to take a look at the range and scope of the damage.

I would like to assert that in most cases, Human suffering is caused by human selfishness.

Here is an example: One person decides to get drunk (a thought only about themselves though not particularly evil), Then they decide to drive (do you really think they were thinking about anyone else?), Then they totally smear an innocent bystander. Even if that bystander had never done anything wrong, or was Jesus christ saving the world, that life is over because of the selfishness of another. Do you think that the driver planned to kill the other person? Probably not. Was it still the driver's fault? Yes.

Because we live in a world where all choices have natural consequences, we also have a responsibility not to infringe on other's lives with our bad choices. When we stop thinking about anyone but ourselves we will always cause suffering in others.

Another example: A family of five lives a fairly normal life. The oldest son starts smoking when he is 18 and still lives at home. Can you think of some natural consequences to this choice? I can. -The whole family will suffer the effects of second-hand smoking at least a little. -Even if the son smokes only outside. -There is a higher risk of fires in the house. -One day the oldest son will very likely have to rely on someone else's money and care after smoking has sapped his health away and it will probably be his family. -Worse, The younger kids will see his example and not only be more likely to smoke, They will feel like it should be a normal thing and they will think even less of the consequences.

Now who is at fault? Dad, Mom, Oldest Son. The only reason the parent WOULDN'T stop their son, or make him leave for that is because it isn't convenient or easy to make that stand. Maybe they just don't care, but they have kids to think about including the oldest son and it is selfish to risk their futures on smoking when they could at least try to fight. For many of the same reasons the oldest son is being selfish. 'Smoking is cool' won't be a good excuse when his little sister has to breathe through a tube in her throat though.

When governments, or corporations, or people want a bigger piece of the pie than they need and are willing to let others suffer for it we have suffering. When people just don't want to deal with the responsibilities they have, suffering.

The thing about Karma is that what you send out tends to come back to you, and have you ever met a selfish person who was truly happy?

No matter how rich, they always seem to have something eating at them. Some cancerous problem springing up through the floorboards.

In my own experience, the happiest people in the world tend to have almost nothing, and usually give some of that away. I wonder why that is.

Now, I have made my own point, so I will let you hear it from wiser men than myself.


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * “I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of others.”

-Dalai Lama- ||


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * “Selfishness is that detestable vice which no one will forgive in others, and no one is without in himself”

-Henry Ward Beecher- ||


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * “It is not because the truth is too difficult to see that we make mistakes... we make mistakes because the easiest and most comfortable course for us is to seek insight where it accords with our emotions - especially selfish ones.”

-Alexander Solzhenitsyn- ||


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.

-Napoleon Hill- ||


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * What's the matter with the world? Why, there ain't but one thing wrong with every one of us -- and that's selfishness.

-Will rogers- ||


 * **QUOTE** ||
 * As selfishness and complaint pervert and cloud the mind, so love with its joy clears and sharpens the vision

-Hellen keller- ||

(Return to Teachings)