I’ve embraced the concept of “the void” as a metaphor for how I live my life.
Suffering is an intrinsic part of the organic condition. Suffering has the power to destroy the individual, this much is true, but it can also be a source of great change. Suffering provides context, gives meaning to pleasure, and strengthens the core. A life without hardship is one that does not advance, grow, or change. Lack of troubles is antithetical to the very concept of evolution. Without external stimuli to adapt to, we stagnate.
A lot of faith and self-help jargon focuses on removing suffering from ones life, specifically by shying away from the “darker” shades of your soul. This is folly.
You can no more remove your suffering than you can your arm or leg. The dark parts of you are still you, no matter how deep they run. We are the sum of the whole, not of specific parts. Anger can lead to passion, fury can lead to justice, jealousy can motivate to greatness, fear can keep you alive, lust keeps our species going, etc.
If someone claims that their light can burn away your suffering, remind them that the brighter the light is, the darker a shadow it will cast.
