Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jajdude]

Add some ideas, I don't have any right now, but may later.

[captain kirk]

I think if you fight life it puts you in your place and that hurts. You can be too proud, greedy and get bashed for it by repercussions. The other day I was on the escalator at Emart going up and, up ahead descending, was a kind looking grandmother with her pretty, bright eyed grandaughter. I caught her eye, she caught mine, from way off. She said pleased to meet you and hello in Korean so kindly and, at the same time, her grandaughter lit up and smiled along. This grandmother's hair was totally white, which is unusual for a Korean. It seemed like she'd given up all her baggage and decided to serve life and the common good by being sincerely well intentioned. It was refreshing to see her. And no, I don't have a thing for Grandmas.

[Demophobe]

Without struggle and suffering, there can be no satisfaction and peace. Corny, but true.

[spliff]

Negating the negation...

[Rock]

CS Lewis said "Pain is God's megaphone to reach an otherwise deaf world." But this is only if you're speaking of suffering in the sense of pain.

This is an age-old debate, suffering. Another person said ". . .and we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces character, character perserverance, and perserverance, hope"(Not sure if I got the word order right.)

"Hope," in this sense of the word too, is referring to more than just its generic meaning.

The man who's quoted as saying this? Whipped 40 times apiece on five occasions, flogged with rods a few, stoned and left to die; had been imprisoned, chained, beaten; shipwrecked, spent a night or two in the open sea, gone without food and shelter, attacked by bandits. . .I can't remember the rest.

Anyways, 'suffering is not meaningless.' Good can come of it, though often it may be for a reason we don't know and think is undeserving.

Trust me. My father's wife-my mother-ran off with another man when I was nine, left seven kids, one just a year old-and left my father completely at the mercy of taking care of us-for a fella whom my father at one time held a banquet for in his own home, shook his hand.

Turned out the guy was involved with the mob, caused my mother to file bankruptcy. He then went to prison for ten years for embezzlement and that after threatening a judge and fleeing to Miami. The prison was in Chicago too, the worst of places.

But my father? He remarried, met a woman who'd been mentally abused by a husband who was a Chicago cop, he ending up dying in a hotel and leaving her a heck of a chunk of life insurance. They then pitched in funds, bought a home like a castle, had a maid to take care of my younger brothers. He has been with the woman now for over twenty years, lives in practically an estate, highly successful, didn't even know what happened to this other guy 'til I told him fifteen years later.

[jajdude]

[trubadour]

take the strait (narrow, hard) way to heaven, or the soft way to hell

[The Bobster]

[jajdude]

I like the classroom analogy applied to the world. Better than one I sometimes think, a psychiatric ward!

[Junior]

"pain is inevitable, suffering is optional".

-Obviously whoever wrote that never had to deal with a lifetime of disabilty or hereditary disease.

[ChopChaeJoe]

It's the currency we pay for our character with.

As the Axl sang:
And when i find all of the reasons
Maybe I'll find another way
Find a another day
With all the changing seasons
Of my life
Maybe I'll get it right
Next time
And now that you've been broken down
Got your head out of the clouds
Back down on the ground
And you don't talk so loud
And you don't walk so proud
Any more, and what for?

or else ..you can find all of life's answers at the bottom of a whisky bottle.

[jajdude]

We despise suffering as it happens yet sometimes benefit from it. I'm curious about this process. Much of our suffering is self-induced.

Anyway, some wise character once said or wrote: "We learn from experience that we learn nothing from experience."

I'll go with that for now.

More thoughts later hopefully.

[kermo]

My saintly and gracious mother, who is not prone to cursing, has a favourite acronym: AFOG.

It stands for Another F*cking Opportunity for Growth.

It's a way to acknowledge the torments of life, while embracing the possibilities that may result. It's a way of gently saying to someone "I know this is miserable, and I wouldn't wish it on you, but you're going to come out of this better and stronger."

When I'm miserable, I find I learn a lot about myself. According to The Buddha (as interpreted by some), suffering comes out of (wrong) desire. Thus, when I'm hurt by someone's behaviour, I take a minute and think about what is actually being thwarted within me, setting aside the rightness/wrongness of the other person's behaviour. Is it my desire to be respected and loved? In that case, there's nothing wrong with that desire, but it's unrealistic to expect love and respect from everyone. Is it my pride or insecurity that's being piqued? In that case, I need to have a little humility, or find a little encouragement. Once I've identified what exactly is frustrating me, I can articulate it, ignore it, or try to change myself.

There are other cases when suffering is a normal reaction to the circumstances around you, and you must choose the best course of action, trusting that the agony is natural and temporary. Emotional pain is a reality and it can be identified in the brain in the same area as physical pain. It's a normal reaction when we experience the loss of something we love. Stress is physically real too, and it's designed to give us the extra energy and awareness we need to navigate obstacles.

I think about my feelings as something that's happening in my body, not just as consequences of my surroundings. Sometimes they're gut reactions, and there's nothing to do but ride it out. Sometimes they're symptoms of my own problems and nothing more.

In any case, I believe that whatever I'm going through, I can find a way to learn something, and I'll be able to support someone else going through the same thing, which is some comfort.

[Bibbitybop]

This makes me think about the over-prescribing of drugs for "depression" and "anxiety." Many people do need those drugs, but now if you feel bad or are stressed out, people don't learn to deal with those natural emotions and don't conquer their problems naturally. They just turn to drugs, so do the doctors, and it may have lasting effects on humanity down the road.

[mikowee]

learning about yourself and who your real friends are

adapting and becoming stronger (or dying)

gaining appreciation for the sweeter moments

empathy

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