It can seem we are more divided than ever in many aspects of life, and we too often still feel empty while pushing ourselves to keep up. Suffer Less in Life & Work explores many facets of our relationships with ourselves and others and provides tools to help ease this division and brings a clearer level of understanding and grace.
When you consider what makes up our life: emotions, relationships, concerns, expectations, harsh realities, and even politics, how can there not be some suffering? Though these subjects are wide and deep, the author breaks each down and shares from his 34 years of front-line public service experiences and his personal life observations what is adding to our difficulties. He then follows with solution-based concepts and easy daily applicable tools to tame these daily life stressors.
The Author writes:
I am periodically asked, "With all of the tragedy and death you have seen, why do you laugh so often?" Sometimes the question is worded slightly differently, which slightly changes my answer, "With all the tragedy and death you have seen, how can you always be so happy?" My answer to the first question is because life is hard; and yet, life is also an amazing and unfortunately short but powerful journey. So yes, I do find the good, the humor, and the laughter as often as I can. My answer to the slightly differently worded question is the same, but it starts with, "I am not always happy...."
I have seen inside of us, including myself, that there is a dark place between alive and dead that we sometimes fall into for a period. That place is emptiness, loneliness, paralyzing fear, anxiety, depression, anger, resentment, jealousy, even blame, and many addictions. It is my hope that we do not have to stay in that undead but not alive place for long. We arrive there when our feelings or perceptions, and sometimes the actual reality of our life, hit a difficult span of more bad than good. This causes the rough to cover more of our spirit than the light of goodness can illuminate. In this day and time, that unalive place is happening to us all too often. We do have valid reasons to feel overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, and to question human and social behaviors. But you are alive, and unless chronic or severe, these painful, aware, and sensitive human experiences have the potential to enrich our lives. It requires a cautious balance. As pressures mount, this can be difficult, but acknowledging how tough and scary it all can be at times is a great healthy start.
