The Universal Question: Why Does Humanity Suffer?
Human suffering is the great unifier, the one experience that binds every soul that has ever drawn breath. From the Book of Job’s declaration that “man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward” to the quiet desperation in your own heart during your darkest hour, the question echoes since the beginning of time: Why?
I have spent my career exploring the depths of human behavior, the subconscious mind, and the pathways to healing. I don’t claim to be able to give you a single, definitive answer to why we suffer. However, what I will offer is perhaps more valuable: an exploration of possible answers—a map of the territory—so that you may find your own bearing and solution, which perhaps might help reduce your suffering.
The Existential Lens: Is Suffering the Price of Freedom?
Awareness, Choice, and the Burden of Being Human
Existential psychologists and philosophers like Sartre, May, and Yalom suggest that suffering is not an accident of life; it is woven into the very fabric of conscious existence. We are “condemned to be free,” as Sartre famously wrote, and with that freedom comes the burden of choice, the anxiety of responsibility, and the inevitable encounter with what philosophers call “finitude”—our limitations, our aging, our death.
Finding Authenticity in Pain and the Search for Meaning
From this perspective, we suffer because we are aware. We suffer because we can imagine what might be while confronting what is. We suffer because we love, knowing that we will lose. The existentialist does not ask you to deny this pain but to meet it with authenticity—to recognize that your suffering is the signature of your humanity.
The Transpersonal Lens: Suffering as a Spiritual Gateway
Eastern Wisdom and the Illusion of Separation
Existential psychology focuses on the individual; transpersonal psychology peers beyond, into the mystical and spiritual dimensions of experience. Here, suffering takes on a different complexion.
Consider the ancient wisdom of the East: suffering (dukkha) arises from craving, clinging, and attachment—from the mistaken belief that we are separate, isolated selves fighting against an indifferent universe. The path through suffering is not to avoid it but to transcend the illusion of the permanent and separate self who suffers.
The Game of Life: Consciousness, Creation, and the Purpose of Suffering & Pain
This brings us to a radical possibility—“Wake up. Enjoy the game. You made this.” In a video short by Chase Hughes, to be played in his moment of deepest despair, the message reveals a startling truth: “You built this. All of it. Every challenge, every detail, you chose it because you wanted to experience something real… so it would feel more vivid, more intense.”
Is this not a modern echo of the ancient wisdom traditions? The idea that we are, at our core, eternal consciousness that has voluntarily taken on the “veil of forgetfulness” to experience life in its full intensity? That suffering is not a punishment or a mistake but a design feature—the mechanism that makes the game of life feel real.
In this context, life is presented as a simulation or a divine play—and you are the creator—a modern retelling of the ancient teachings of the East.
The Philosophical Lens: Facing Pointless Suffering
When Suffering Defies Meaning
And yet, there is a problem with any attempt to assign meaning to suffering. What of the suffering that seems utterly pointless? The child with cancer. The tsunami that swallows thousands. The cruel randomness of genetic disease.
Learning to Hold the Tension of Suffering Between Acceptance and Resistance
Scott Samuelson, in Seven Ways of Looking at Pointless Suffering, argues that to be fully human is to acknowledge a paradox: we must accept suffering and oppose it simultaneously. We must fight against unnecessary pain with every tool we have while recognizing that some suffering will always elude our explanations.
Perhaps the greatest wisdom is to hold this tension—to resist suffering with all our might while knowing that the very act of searching for meaning is part of what makes us human.
If you’re ready to move beyond simply surviving pain and start truly transforming it—whether it’s old trauma, relationship wounds, self-worth struggles, or the weight of everyday anxiety—book a one-on-one session with me. Using SRTT (Subconscious Rapid Transformation Technique), we resolve root causes rapidly without reliving the pain. Click here to schedule.
The Psychological Lens: How Meaning Helps Us Survive Suffering
Viktor Frankl and the Power of “Why”
Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, gave us perhaps the most powerful psychological insight into suffering. In the concentration camps, he observed that those who could find some meaning—however small or personal—were more likely to survive. He wrote, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” His focus was on love, creative pursuits, and values—who you are in the face of adversity.
Transforming Pain Into Purpose
This is not to say that suffering is “good” or that we should seek it. Rather, it is to recognize that when suffering arrives—as it always does—we have a profound choice. We can be broken by it, or we can ask: What now? Who am I becoming in this fire? What is life asking of me through this pain?
What matters most is the way that you respond to the pain and suffering. Understanding suffering is the first step; healing it is the next. If you are ready to stop simply enduring the pain and start truly transforming it to set yourself free from the past and the pain of the present, I invite you to book a session so I can help you there.
The Unanswerable Question: What If Suffering Is the Path to Awakening?
From Brokenness to Awakening: Seeing Suffering as an Invitation
So we return to where we began. Why do we suffer? Is it the price of consciousness? An illusion to be transcended? A game we chose to feel alive? Or simply the random cruelty of an indifferent universe?
Perhaps suffering, when faced with courage, is the very thing that carves depth into our souls and makes love possible.
Creating Meaning Through the Search Itself
Sometimes, the question matters more than the answer. For in asking why, we declare that our lives matter. In searching for meaning, we create it. In wrestling with darkness, we discover who we truly are.
Final Reflection: What Your Suffering Might Be Asking of You
“You’re not broken at all. You’re just waking up.”
Perhaps that is the invitation hidden within every moment of suffering—not to find the answer, but to wake up to the question, and in doing so, to wake up to yourself and your possibilities!
Patrick Wanis, PhD, is a renowned relationship and behavioral expert with over 25 years of experience. Creator of SRTT Therapy (Subconscious Rapid Transformation Technique), he specializes in resolving root causes of trauma and other conditions without reliving pain or retraumatization. He has developed various psychological assessments on emotional intelligence, relationships, self-sabotage, and authenticity, and serves diverse clients from celebrities to teens. A trusted media source, Global media including CNN, BBC, FOX News turn to Wanis for insights into relationships, sexuality, human motivation, trauma, communication, body language, and persuasion.