2. Not To Turn Away

When I see suffering, I want to turn away. It is painful to watch another person suffer. It is doubly painful to watch suffering I feel I cannot do anything to eliminate or prevent. I want to help, but I cannot see what I must do. This is deeply uncomfortable, so perhaps it is no surprise that my inclination is to look away.

But this is a mistake. I cannot allow my own discomfort to distract me. It is by giving suffering my sustained attention that I gain the opportunity to understand it. This is not an easy task. It is not easy the first time, and it is not easy the hundredth time. I need not only to see but also to ask questions. I must investigate what is happening and why it is happening, but also what I am doing and what I could be doing. All of this is difficult, taxing, tiring.

Since it is so uncomfortable and challenging, other people will question the value of doing it. They will say that it is unrealistic to hope to understand suffering. They will say that it is too much for anyone to bear. They will say that even if I can understand it, I cannot possibly fix it. Perhaps they are right about these things.

Still I must look. I must try to understand. I must try to see the nature of suffering. I must try to see its features, its ubiquity, and its sources. Only by doing so can there be any hope for its end.