It can be tempting to construe the myriad challenges we face on a day-to-day basis as if they are a result of unfortunate circumstance or unfairness of the world. There is no doubt that many among us behave reprehensibly and with little or no regard for the well being of others. The struggle that we all must confront is not whether or not suffering exists in the world. If you’re reading this then you know that already. The relevant question is what are we going to do about it?
As with any problem, finding the solution starts with knowing the cause. One very important cause for the preservation of suffering is that many of us do nothing to reduce it. By nothing I mean that we don’t take actions that are specifically designed to prevent or limit suffering. If we allow ourselves to get distracted by complaining or worrying then we will not make much progress. We need to transform the energy we would otherwise put into such unproductive pursuits into energy that can actually make a meaningful difference.
If we are no longer dissipating energy on useless pursuits we can then put our full attention on establishing a discipline that gets results. Even more rewarding is being able to relax comfortably into a purposeful existence. When we live our lives based on a meaningful purpose, more of our actions have a reason and a specific intended effect. Ideally, our main purpose will be satisfaction because when we are satisfied, we have no motivation to do harm to others and we are free to work exclusively for their benefit.
If we are working towards satisfaction, the most efficient use of our time will be in building mindful awareness. Mindfulness, i.e., knowing what we are doing and what is happening around us, results naturally in understanding which is the only precursor to satisfaction. Once we understand the true nature of reality we will let go of more of our fears, worries and complaints because we see that we do not need them in order to be happy. Such an experience can be very motivating and so once we set ourselves on a disciplined path to build mindfulness, we create continual feedback in the right direction.