Do you think any good comes out of suffering?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by Magical Realist, Sep 22, 2013.

  1. Beer w/Straw Transcendental Ignorance! Valued Senior Member

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    Negative reinforcement.
     
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  3. ( ͡° ͜ʖ͡°) Registered Member

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    Weight lifters seem to fare well from suffering.
     
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  5. Ripley Valued Senior Member

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    Whatever "good" comes out of suffering has a necessary prerequisite: tenacity. So whilst in torment, one can image the tightness, the anxiety, the loneliness, the forlornness — and should that suffering finally vanish… then the relief, the lightness, the incredibility, the freedom!
     
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  7. Seattle Valued Senior Member

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    No. There is nothing that comes from suffering that wouldn't be better without it. Some people might get some side benefit but nothing that would actually be better for them than if they had no suffering in the first place.

    There is nothing about beating one's body with a whip that will make the body better than if it wasn't beat with a whip.
     
  8. Ripley Valued Senior Member

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    Right. Suffering is an interruption.
     
  9. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    There is a saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Suffering creates necessity leading to new adaptions.

    Say for the sake of argument we instinctively move away from suffering, and toward the direction of pleasure and contentment. Suffering is like a repulsive force in physics, while pleasure is an attractive force. When there is suffering, the repulsive force can get so strong that even mild attractive forces appear stronger. One would not notice the subtle attraction if there were only strong attractive forces everywhere.

    As an example, if there is plenty of food to eat, an animal will eat the easies to get food it likes the most. If all the food dries up and he starts to suffer, he will start to notice other foods he did not see before. The repulsion of suffering vector adds to weak attraction to create the relative reference of higher attraction. An invention is often a subtle thing, that once you see it, you wonder why you never thought of it first. You need the suffering of the artist to be pushed toward the subtle nobody else can easily see. Culture does a good job discouraging innovation such as new ideas, to increase suffering for greater subtle clarity. The process is not pleasant but gets results.
     
  10. wynn ˙ Valued Senior Member

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    Of what? The splendid drama one hopes one's life would be, but somehow isn't?

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