leviadragon99 said:
I have to say, while there is merit in being comfortable despite the suffering and unfairness of the world, it strikes me as complacency to think we can never change it positively, to set aside rancour and try to make the world a better place.
Without that, it's not just accepting that we as individuals are always going to suffer, it's accepting everyone else, including those yet to be born are doomed to that.
Suffering will happen. It will not be fun. And you will not enjoy it. And you are not supposed to. You can't avoid it. You can't prevent yourself from making other suffer. It's part of life. Feel the pain, but don't wallow in it. Don't cause pointless suffering and don't make yourself suffer over suffering.
If you are a kind person and you make people happy, people will suffer your loss when you die. If you are a cruel person, then people may be happy when you die, but you will make them suffer when you are alive. And no matter what you or anyone else does, the world will have earthquakes and fires and diseases and wild animals and slippery floors and sharp edges and people will suffer from those things.
To accept suffering is not to be complacent. Make a fire, build a house, cook a meal, invent the light bulb and the Internet. Tell a story or draw a picture. Strive to be kind and to prevent horror. Do all the things you imagine will diminish suffering and fill your life with meaning. Accepting suffering is not the same as embracing it.
Suffering isn't something to be "fixed" or "avoided" or "embraced". It's to be felt. Sometimes a little. Sometimes a lot. And before, during, and after suffering, one should enjoy the life that includes it, and not confuse one for the other.