Coping with Life

In a way, life is defined by pain and pleasure, and we are innately programmed to search pleasure and avoid pain. After all, pain is not something you can explain. Pain just is for humans. We try to avoid it because we don't like it. We have pain in situations that are against our well-being. Furthermore, pain can go beyond physical damage. There are ideas that cause pain, therefore we try to avoid them or solve them. The idea of "problem" is a conceptualization of this pain. Here we are concerned about the problems that might lie beyond resolution.

Immortality

The original problem from which the rest stems is mortality. A physical and temporal limitations to our actions and others' actions set an absolute boundary between possible and impossible. Our temporal nature and constant race towards death causes a feeling of despair. The temporal and physical bounds that are imposed cause pain. Some people try to defy time, some others try to defy space. The concept of immortality has haunted humanity since we have record of it. Be it humans looking to be immortal or humans attributing immortality: a concept that defies the nature of human life. From this, knowing we can't go back in time, or live an eternity, living becomes more and more stressful.

Memories

The second main source of pain, and the one we want to understand, is memory. Blessed are those who cannot remember their mistakes. Out past is no longer something that exists, but we recreate its facts via memory. In some way, we dedicate current time and space to go back to time and space that no longer exists. From memory comes the idea of regret and pain of reflecting over decisions we would like to change. These short lapses in which we create alternative universes show us better lives which we don't have. We live them even for a moment, just to return to our reality.

Some people create ideas they take as true to make up for sadness or pain that lies beyond their capacity to change. These ideas usually reference truths that can't be denied. People will usually refer to these ideas when they say they believe in it. Some people believe in love. Some people believe in deities. The need to have ideas that cannot be challenged change their realities. They may atone pains of their past or present. It makes life possible to endure.

Struggle for Truth

Even when we feel we need to know the truth because contradictions cause discomfort, beliefs allow loopholes or conflicts to exist within their minds. Certain beliefs promise an exchange of current suffering for eternal pleasure. Some others let people think that despite the evil they see, in reality everyone is good. It creates a feeling of warmness upon invoking it.

The issue I want to address refers to forcing a truth upon a belief. Everyone will encounter at some point in their lives someone who believes something which we know is false. This doesn't mean that we have a duty to clash with their believes. Remembering that core creations of our minds make coping with life possible, it is not our place to tear apart their system. There is no good deal in attacking an idea that serves as someone's core. The result of trying to prove them wrong is a scarred belief and sense of doubt, or perhaps a broken belief without replacement.

Respect the Inoffensive

In general, we are in no position to go around breaking truths on people. Let them experience love. Let them trust the afterlife. Let them enjoy charity. As long as their lives are not harming others', there is no need to break their system. You can ask yourself if you have such an idea, which doesn't affect others, and no one gains from making your life worse by tearing it down.

There is a line in this ideas which is not easily drawn: which beliefs are not to be tolerated? I'll try to address the issue in part VII.