November 16, 2023

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Regardless of where you are in your life, you understand the gravity of Nietzsche's words. Everyone suffers. Me—I'm kinda obsessed with it. Not in the way that I love suffering—NO! But I love exploring the ways in which we engage in needless suffering. I would wager that 75% of the sadness and anguish we experience on a regular basis is unnecessary. And if this is true, we can eliminate a majority of what separates us from our contentment.

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This all started for me when I discovered Boethius, my "Suffering Hero". While looking for meaning, shortly after my dad found himself in jail, I decided to revisit a book in my personal library: The Happiness Hypothesis. One of the chapter's takes a deep look at Boethius, a prominent Roman statesman, Christian philosopher, and advisor to King Theodoric during the Middle Ages. He had a thriving family, beautiful home and power in the local government. But then, after defending a friend who was found guilty of treason, Boethius found himself with a same fate. When his life had truly reached a pinnacle of success, he was stripped of his power and sentenced to be executed just one year later.

The emotional and psychological toll of such a drastic reversal of fortune is difficult to fathom. Stripped of his societal standing and facing the imminent end of his life, Boethius likely grappled with a range of intense emotions—fear, despair, and perhaps even bitterness at the perceived injustice of his fate. The loss of power and the looming specter of death must have been overwhelming.

However, it was precisely in this dire circumstance that Boethius found the strength to write "The Consolation of Philosophy," a the 6th-century classic, full of timeless lessons that resonates across the centuries. So inspired by Boethius' story, I purchased his book in search of lessons that would help me heal and deal with my own existential crisis.

What an amazing book! Written in a completely different time, its difficult to grasp the language, but the message is clear. Fortune is fickle. She is like a seductress who is free to visit you, woo you and just as free to leave without notice. None of us have the right to hold her hostage, and yet we try. We buy things and own them as if they will always be ours. Everything that we have, from the car we drive to the bed we sleep in, will one day cease to exist or belong to someone else. We try so hard to hold onto things despite the fact that ownership is really just an allusion. Relationships and experiences are really the only things we can truly possess.

Here is a simple test: the phone or computer you're using to read this blog—will you still own it next year or 10 years from now? No, you will probably trade it in for a newer model. But this message about suffering and our need to reexamine it—can anyone take that away from you? The wisdom you've accumulated by living, isn't it yours forever if you guard it?

Wherever you are in the storm of your personal suffering—whether it's a soft drizzle or the tumultuous eye of the storm—recognize that each raindrop carries the potential for growth. In the aftermath, when the clouds part and reveal the breathtaking brilliance of a rainbow, relish the profound lessons etched in the skies of your resilience. Life's storms may test us, but they also offer a chance for our spirits to bloom and shine with newfound strength.