We Are Not Born With Kindness, We Learn It
Imagine thousands of years into the future that there is a machine so sophisticated that a person can be cultivated from birth until it reaches its young adult stage without opening its eyes and when it’s time to wake up there is no one to teach how life works, what would be its immediate feeling? Would it feel pain, anger, or loneliness? Or would it feel peace, calm, or serenity?
In my opinion, that person would immediately suffer and won’t learn how to be kind in his lifetime. Many generations have to pass in order for a group or a civilization to form and learn kindness. In order to learn kindness, we must learn that hatred and suffering are what divide us.
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Suffering can be found everywhere, going through a breakup, the loss of a person dear to us, and even in the act of giving birth, but we also suffer on a daily basis, even if we are having a good time. We have learned to deal with suffering and to find meaning in the suffering, just like Nietzsche said. Some examples that come to mind are: you went to the beach and got a nice sun tan, even though you enjoyed it, your skin got burned and it hurts; or you ate a delicious taco, that sent you directly to the bathroom, but sure it was delicious, or you’re doing exercise but you got a cramp, the muscle hurts for a bit until it relaxes, but we pay no mind afterward.
We don’t consider those examples of “positive” suffering as suffering because we have learned how to deal with them or have a solution for them” But what do we do with “negative” suffering? Do we ignore everyone, hoping that times will erase it, and forget that the problems of our suffering are there? or do we learn from our problem as our ancestors have done before us? Because the problems that are causing us so much suffering, have happened countless times in this era or in previous eras, and the knowledge to deal with those problems has been passed down either verbally or has been written down.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” — Socrates
We are only human, but we shouldn’t let ignorance be the reason for our suffering. Through knowledge, we can learn how to cope and deal with suffering, either by ourselves with self-help guides or by seeking help from family, friends, or a professional. Throughout our lives, we will suffer a lot but is up to the individual to choose how to deal with “positive” and “negative” suffering. We should turn suffering into kindness because no one is born being kind, we are thought how to be kind.
I’m currently learning philosophy and with this said I am not a “professional” thinker. I’m just writing my thought on subjects that bother me the most in my studies.
