Sickness and ‏suffering  are both an unnatural and natural phenomena we human beings and animals must endure. It is unnatural because we don’t want it, and we hate it! It is natural because we must accept it as a part of living. We may not be able to stop it, but we may be able to slow it.

I suffered from severe asthma as a child that continued up till the age of 13. The pain was excruciating growing up. Every part of my body ached,  from the top of my head to the sole of my feet! I couldn’t eat, even when I was very hungry  — my throat was swollen. And to make matters worse, I was accident prone, often injuring myself with wounds that took months to heal. But why? Why did I have to suffer then, and why do I still suffer now? Why does any one of us have to suffer?

Strangely, the answer to those questions is explicitly never given to us. We may never know! We are often left to assume. Some people believe they are paying back a debt they owe from some previous life. Some believe suffering happens to make us stronger. Others believe there is some sadistic entity that enjoys our suffering. Others believe we will be rewarded from these trials and testings.

What is curious to me is that physical suffering may have an invisible connection — a spiritual connection, that our physical body and mind may not be able to comprehend. One reason why I say this is because some things just does not make sense to me. For example, why are certain sicknesses so seemingly incurable? Why are some people doing everything apparently right — eating healthy,  exercising and thinking positively, yet they are always still sick? Why do we often feel as if our bodies are not our own because, it is doing what it wants, without our consent? Why are we having heart problems, tumors, bloated stomachs, acne, migraines, arthritis, VD, diabetes and many other sicknesses that we did not ask for?

I have come to the conclusion that before we can heal, we must first ask the question and try to find the answer to,  “Why are we suffering in the first place?” Before we can find a path to healing, we must ask, “What am I doing wrong that needs to be changed?” Surely, it could be something in our diet that needs further tweaking, or something, somewhere we’re breathing in that needs addressing. Or it could be more than that. For example, could emotional hate be the stumbling block that is causing us to be sick, or to not heal? Could hate be accelerating our propensity to be sick, or stay sick?

Truth be told, some people have experienced spontaneous healing just by learning the power of forgiving others. The power of forgiveness has healed many a sicknesses! A sick liver has rejuvenated and come back to life in hours after letting go of hate, knowingly or unknowingly, that was building up and flowing over, for years.

Now perhaps if you are suffering from a debilitating disease — before seeking physical healing — maybe it would be better to first seek spiritual, mental and emotional healing. Maybe it would be first better to learn the power to forgive others, and to forgive one’s self. Maybe it would first be better to love one’s self, and to love others. Then suddenly, the path to healing may become, perhaps, one of the easier challenges in the world! Could the power of good health and healing mostly lay in the world of love and forgiveness?

Diogenes II