Utterly normal

[RedLantern]

If we see the normal suffering of living in society as something very heavy,it is indeed very heavy.I f we see it as something natural,it becomes natural,it becomes simply natural.
Just like when we look at a tree,if we see it as something big,it becomes big,if we see it as small,it becomes small.But if we neither consider the tree big nor small,then there won't be much to say about it.It become  utterly normal that way.

[DS Star]

If we see the normal suffering of living in society as something very heavy,it is indeed very heavy. If we see it as something natural,it becomes natural,it becomes simply natural.
Just like when we look at a tree,if we see it as something big,it becomes big,if we see it as small,it becomes small.But if we neither consider the tree big nor small,then there won't be much to say about it.It become  utterly normal that way.

The fact is, Red Lantern, we are too numb with all the sufferings in this world, even for the sufferings in disasters. How many 'bad' news we have been reading everyday? Do you cry when reading about the suffering of people in another countries? occasionally maybe...

Unless there is a death in our family or closed circle (untimely death especially like in traffic accidents or due to terminal illness), we will not be affected emotionally. We may feel sympathy to victims of earth quake, for example, but how many of us really take the action to go to help?

These kind of news on people sufferings had also become utterly normal.

So, I am not surprise that most of us will take it as utterly normal to see the common suffering of living in our society.

[diablo1974]

We do not expect everyone to be in grief whenever we see sufferings from TV and news and other platforms. But if we can treat it as a relearning  and learning process to cultivate compassion, it actually brings us nearer to becoming a part of humanity. Buddha has taught us to start now and follow his method to end suffering from the mind and so that we can get out of samsara one of the day.

As sentient beings where we are tied up in habituation from beginningless lifetimes, its not common to have people giving up their years of current lifetime for spiritual. People recognises death and old age, its just a matter of choice if we want to start now or not.   

[dondrup]

Every sentient being in samsara perceives things or objects differently. Take for example a glass of water is perceived as nectar, water and pus by the god, human and hungry ghost respectively. The difference is due to the level of obscuration of their minds. These obscuration arose from lifetime after lifetime of accumulated negative karma.

The true nature of all phenomenon is emptiness or the lack of inherent existence. It doesn't change the true nature of the object even if we have perceived it differently. Hence it is utterly normal to perceive objects differently.

[pgdharma]

It is due to karmic influences and our perception. The world appears in different ways to different people. One and the same object can serve as a cause of happiness for some people and a cause of suffering for others.

All the different perceptions we have arise from our very own minds and are coming through these emotions. That is why everything we experience ends up being a disappointment. Regardless of whether it is felt in a big or a small way, the point is that there is always a little bit of disappointment. This is the reason why, when Buddha identified the origin of suffering, he pointed within and not outside, because He knew that the principal causes of our suffering is our own negative emotions.

[brian]

Yes DS Star, i agree very much with you. This is very common among modern day or people living in the city where they take tragedies, calamities as something pretty normal. Most of the time these are ignored and they get on with their lives, caring for themselves. So much so as they don't even care about what is going on to the world that they are living in. They just want to care for themselves. Yes some might feel want to do some community work but most were just too busy for themselves and enjoying themselves. I find this sickening

If we see the normal suffering of living in society as something very heavy,it is indeed very heavy. If we see it as something natural,it becomes natural,it becomes simply natural.
Just like when we look at a tree,if we see it as something big,it becomes big,if we see it as small,it becomes small.But if we neither consider the tree big nor small,then there won't be much to say about it.It become  utterly normal that way.

The fact is, Red Lantern, we are too numb with all the sufferings in this world, even for the sufferings in disasters. How many 'bad' news we have been reading everyday? Do you cry when reading about the suffering of people in another countries? occasionally maybe...

Unless there is a death in our family or closed circle (untimely death especially like in traffic accidents or due to terminal illness), we will not be affected emotionally. We may feel sympathy to victims of earth quake, for example, but how many of us really take the action to go to help?

These kind of news on people sufferings had also become utterly normal.

So, I am not surprise that most of us will take it as utterly normal to see the common suffering of living in our society.

[vajrastorm]

First of all, we have already divided people into three categories - friends, enemies and strangers. With friends, to whom we have strong attachments, we do feel empathy and a strong wish to protect, especially if they are our children and loved ones. We are indifferent when they are strangers who are suffering, beyond expressing perhaps sadness at massive road or air accidents that take a heavy toll of lives. When it's our  enemies, we sometimes even wish them dead, and rejoice when they die.

The words "utterly normal' implies having no feelings of compassion or care. However, if we can cultivate(and we should) the realization that all beings have been our mothers, and do not want suffering as much as we don't, then we can easily evoke these feelings to move us to act altruistically, be they friends, enemies or strangers, who are suffering.