The reason is that we have internalized a utopian image of a suffering-free life. And our current state of suffering, compared with the utopian heaven, makes us very frustrated. So, keep this comparison aside by seeing that this utopia is purely imaginary. You are not born to be in bliss. In fact, suffering is an inevitable part of life. Take life as it is, and then do your best to raise it as much as possible — this is excellence.
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Questioner: You have said that one must learn to suffer graciously and be calm and firm even while going through it. I am just too anxious to pass through this suffering phase as early as possible; I am not able to keep my calm and go through it with dignity. What should I do?
Acharya Prashant: The reason is that we have a utopian image of a suffering-free life. Somewhere we have been taught this confidence that one day life will be a heavenly bed of roses or something, so we take that as a possibility. We believe that such a thing can happen — “It’s just that such a thing is not happening with me.” Now, that’s very frustrating.
You believe that a utopian bliss is indeed possible, as it happens in the movies. What do they say? “And they lived happily ever after.” So, you believe that that kind of a fancy world indeed can exist. And when you find that it does not exist in your life, it makes you very, very frustrated; that comparison makes you very frustrated. And we have internalized that utopia.
