my first crazy idea about staying sane amidst insanity

As I said in a previous post, I am interested in sharing ideas about psychologically dealing with the awfulness of things that are unfolding.

Let's start with an extreme simplification of what I think is "the meaning of life":

Suffering vs. happiness

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Yes.

That's all

-at least for this blog.


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Next, what do I say is the root of the fact that mankind has been creating way too much suffering, which is bringing us and earth to an ultimate crisis or end?

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In answering this, I go way beyond everybody I know...

I blame the fact that suffering has to be a part of consciousness at all.


We are so used to it, that we just assume or have convinced ourselves for religious or other reasons that consciousness can't exist without suffering being part of it.


I believe this is not true, and that if you think about it long enough, you can also realize this.

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I think that when nature (or God) screwed up is when pain became part of living bodies and minds, and then became intertwined with survival and evolution.

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The only reason I say these crazy things at the very beginning is to defuse the notions like these:

man is evil but God is not
man is evil but nature is not
man is evil but other species are not
man was not evil until (fill in the blank)


Many people refer to these notions as "dualisms".

I know, I know! -My notion is as much a dualism as these, but I just think it is more realistic.

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I have decided after many years of trying to go on living despite the horrible things happening that the less radical notions I listed are not right.

And clear recognition of truth is absolutely neccessary for coping with horrible facts.

A lot of new questions arise after I've answered this core question like I have just done, and I promise I will tackle those.