Definitions

That which has been successfully defined has been successfully killed.

—Christmas Humphreys, 28 Oct. Zen Calendar

Yeah, I haven't updated this blog in a while. I've been breaking some bad habits, and wound up breaking the posting habit for a while as well. Also, I haven't run across as much to post about. However, I really like this quote. Despite the name, he's actually a Buddhist, and has his own Principles of Buddhism. I am not a Buddhist, but it's interesting to read through the principles and see which I agree with. One that has never made much sense to me is "All life is suffering." Suffering is only a label. I am currently "suffering" from a cold, but at the same time I am discovering new things about myself that I likely wouldn't have had the cold not come upon me. I suffered, seeing my grandma stuck in the hospital for nearly two weeks. That was more difficult, yet I learned a great deal there as well, including that my grandma is a very strong and resilient woman, who nonetheless recognized that she might not survive. Every piece of "suffering" has something to teach us, as does every joy, and as soon as I recognized that, I suffered a great deal less. I am not to the point of "no-suffering," and perhaps I never will be, but "all life is suffering" has never made much sense to me.

"Pain is mandatory; suffering is optional." No clue who said that first, but I think it fits.