Natalya Smirnova talked with Viktor Petrovich Lega
Why is this world full of suffering? Is there an explanation for why the all-good, all-powerful and all-knowing God does not free our world from suffering? It turns out that God doesn’t want this?
God knows about suffering, can change and wants to, but does not save us from them. And it's hard for people to understand why that is. After all, even any person would consider it the height of selfishness not to help his friend if he is suffering and asks for help. Therefore, atheists believe that the only way to solve the problem of suffering in the world is to assume that God simply does not exist. There is no other way. If there was a God, then He, as omnipotent and good, would do everything so that we would not suffer. Diderot said that this problem, like no other, has given rise to more atheists. You can often hear that a person would believe in God if there were not so much evil in the world.
How is this problem solved in Christianity?
In Christianity, the answer is very simple: evil does not come from God, but from our freedom. Man was created in the image of God, created free. If God deprived man of his free will, then he would deprive man of his essence, and man would cease to be man. Therefore, if a person remains a person, then he can choose between good and evil. And if he chooses between good and evil, then he can choose evil. Otherwise he is not a man, otherwise he is not free. Thus, God is not responsible for the evil done in the world, but only man is responsible for it.
But there is also a very important factor, without taking into account which this explanation of the origin of evil in the world becomes heretical. After all, Pelagius thought about the same thing. The dogma of the Fall is also necessary.
We all know that the original sin was that Eve ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and gave it to Adam. But what is the essence of this story?
To understand this, let's figure out why God gave man the commandment “You shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” It is usually said that this was the first commandment of fasting. Yes it is. But why can’t you eat from this particular tree? After all, God does not give meaningless commandments, and we, in turn, are not horses who pull a cart, not knowing where and why. The rider and the horse are fundamentally different creatures, and the horse is not required to know where the rider is directing it. Why was this particular commandment given?
Maybe Adam and Eve were not supposed to know what good and evil were, but when they ate from this tree, then good and evil appeared?
The Fathers of the Church clearly reject this version. St. John Chrysostom, for example, recalls that Satan committed his fall from God long before the appearance of Adam. Evil was already in the world, and man knew about it, and when he met Satan, he knew who he was talking to.
The reason for this prohibition can be understood if you think about the meaning of the word “cognition”. The commandment “not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” meant not to know good and evil. It would seem a very strange command. On the contrary, a person must know what is good and what is evil in order to do the first and not do the second. But in the Old Testament, knowledge did not mean knowledge in the usual sense of the word, but, as it were, “possession.” When we say “know,” we mean some kind of knowledge detached from life, just information. For example, a person can pour out his soul to us, tell us how bad he feels, and we listen and calmly say: “Thank you, I took this into account.” And we think to ourselves: “Well, that’s your problem and it doesn’t concern me.” For the Old Testament man, as for the ancient man, and also for the Christian, knowledge is the possession of the truth, unity with it. If a person has come to know the truth, then it is as if he has become consubstantial with it. From here we can understand the meaning of the first commandment given to man: he must remember that he is not the creator of the world, but a creation. The world was created for man and given to him entirely, which is symbolically expressed in the phrase “from every tree in the garden you will eat.” He was given everything at his disposal except the moral criterion. Adam and Eve had to understand that the criteria of morality, the criteria of good and evil are not in them, but in God. This indicates that good and evil are the most important concepts for a person: he can do everything at his own discretion, except what relates to the area of morality. Here's what it means. And when our ancestors ate this fruit and violated the prohibition given to them, they seemed to say: “Sorry, but we don’t agree. We are the criterion of good and evil. Good is not what God tells us, but what we ourselves choose.”
In other words, Adam and Eve were given a choice, having been told what criterion to use, and they said: “But we know better. Yes, God said “don’t eat,” but we thought and decided that this was wrong. We choose what we need." This is the position of all humanity after the Fall. If we look at how modern debates are going on on any issue: political, moral, any other, you read newspapers, watch TV or just talk with people far from the Church, then you see that a person is always based on his own ideas. Can you take any situation, for example, to get a divorce or not to get a divorce? A person begins to think: “On the one hand, I’m tired of my wife, and I can’t see her anymore, but on the other hand, I feel sorry for the children, so maybe it’s better not to get a divorce. Well, what about the children? The children are already adults, they will understand.” A person begins to figure it out for himself, based on his own ideas. He does not use any objective criterion; all his ideas are subjective. And all people after Adam began to base all matters on their own ideas.
It is often said that it was Adam who sinned, not me, so why should I suffer and be responsible for someone else's sin?
Yes, this is a well-known position: I didn’t sin, why should I be responsible for Adam’s deeds. But in reality, each of us always, every day, several hundred times makes the same choice. Even we, Christians, extremely rarely, if we delve into ourselves, set ourselves the task of acting only as the Church says. It’s good that if it comes to meat during Lent, then we can stand firm, but when it’s a little more complicated, it begins: “Yes, I’ve already done a lot, I haven’t eaten meat for two weeks, but from me here they still require something. Well, no, this is already for saints, for ascetics, but for me it’s enough to give up meat and cottage cheese.” Therefore, there is no need to say that we are saints, we constantly commit the same original sin.
Yes, it's really unclear. For example, I tell my children: “Don’t take the candy,” but they didn’t listen and ate it. What am I? I’ll tell them: “Get out!” So that you don’t set foot in my house!”? Is this what we should do? Is this the real Orthodox position? Why then are we commanded to forgive, countless times? But God did not forgive. Well, this is necessary, he tells us - farewell, but he himself has not forgiven. Almost immediately he kicked me out.
To understand this question, one must realize what the consequences of the Fall were for human nature. Man, disobeying God, took a step away from Him. God is life, therefore, man, having taken a step away from life, thereby took a step towards death. In fact, disobeying God is an act of suicide. This is why man was told, “You will die if you eat the fruit of the tree.” That is why “with sin death entered the world.” Is there a place for death in heaven, in the Kingdom of God? Certainly not. Therefore, the exile was not in the literal sense an exile, although the Bible directly says: “And he drove out Adam, and placed in the east by the garden of Eden Cherubim and a flaming sword that turned to guard the way to the tree of life.” But, of course, this must be understood figuratively, allegorically. Man became mortal, his essence became different in comparison with the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven, so man simply could not remain in paradise. This would be a violation of the harmony of the Kingdom of God. Violation of the commandment led to a change in human being. When we forgive a child or even a murderer, we can forgive because their sins have not changed their nature. What happened to Adam is more like a fairy tale about how Ivanushka did not listen to his sister Alyonushka, drank some water and became a little goat. And after that, Ivanushka no longer had a place among people. Here is a stable for you and live in it. The nature of man has changed, and his habitat must be different. That is why the world has changed. Man changed, and his habitat changed along with him, because the world was created for man, for man. Paradise, of course, has not changed, but the created world has changed. This is the interpretation of the dogma of the Fall. And in this case, it becomes clear why God cannot stop evil and suffering in the world. Original sin became possible because man was and remains free.
But what happens, God expelled man from paradise and does nothing to bring him back? Maybe the time has come to forgive humanity for original sin? But here we get a paradoxical situation. On the one hand, God cannot return a person to paradise, because this requires complete correction of the person; the person must actually become a saint, like Adam before the Fall. But people continue to sin and are not going to correct themselves. But God cannot force a person to be sinless, because then He would make a person an unfree being, and a person would cease to be a person. But, on the other hand, God cannot put up with such a plight of man and wants his salvation. And then He Himself becomes a man, dies and is resurrected, and conquers death. Christ Himself becomes the sinless Adam and tells us that our salvation is possible, that He forgave us, Himself atoned for our sins, and only one thing is required of us - to believe in Christ, that He is truly the Son of God, who suffered and rose again for us. That is, God solved a problem that was insoluble for us: without violating our freedom, He again opened the gates of heaven for us. Therefore, to say that God does nothing to save us from evil and suffering means not understanding anything about Christianity.
What to do with the fact that God, when creating man, knew in advance that he would disobey Him and be forced to leave heaven?
God's entire plan for the world is possible only under the conditions that man has freedom and the opportunity to realize this freedom, that is, he has a choice. According to St. Augustine, God created man who could sin and could not sin, and man had to achieve perfection - such a state when he could no longer sin, that is, he would actually become the second God. But man abandoned this path; he could have sinned - and he did.
That is, in other words, if God deprived a person of choice, protected him from temptation - the forbidden fruit, then a person would not be able to realize that quality of his that distinguishes us from animals - freedom?
Yes, man is the image of God, a free being, and any violence against man is his murder, the transformation of man into an animal, into a machine.
But one more question remains. So far we have spoken only about evil, but not about suffering. What is suffering? It is always some state of wrongness. If a person gets sick with something, then the person understands that it needs to be treated. Mental or physical pain is a signal of the need for treatment. Violation of the commandment of obedience to God in paradise, refusal of God, became a refusal of life and a step towards death. Therefore, suffering naturally appeared. Any person understands that illness and the accompanying pain are a symptom of death - if left untreated, the illness will end in death. Why was it said that a man will earn bread by the sweat of his brow, but his wife will give birth in pain? This should not be understood as a cruel punishment for disobedience. A normal, decent atheist who does not know dogma simply makes his hair stand on end. I have repeatedly heard atheists say: “And you love this God? Who condemns you to torment and death for the slightest disobedience? Do you want to live with Him in heaven?!” And the problem is solved very simply. This is not a punishment, but rather a statement of fact, because the person himself chose this path, he himself departed from life, and therefore he himself left heaven. And God, like a doctor, states this fact.
Let's imagine a situation: two friends are sitting in a restaurant: one ordered vodka and kebab, and the other ordered semolina porridge.
-What are you doing? - asks the first one.
“Yes, you know, the doctor doesn’t allow it,” the second one answers.
– My doctor didn’t allow me either. But I gave him a thousand dollars, and he allowed it.
This absurd dialogue shows that the doctor exists not to allow or prohibit a sick person from drinking vodka, but to make a correct diagnosis and cure, and for this the patient himself must limit himself to certain products. So God states the human condition: “Sorry, but you are terminally ill, and your life will be full of suffering.” This is not a punishment, it is a statement of fact.
Suffering in the world both from the first man and from each of us, because we commit sin every minute and every second, and live in death and suffering. But if we believe in Christ, then we understand that this is the path leading to true life, because the Savior said that “I am the way and the truth and the life.” And when we choose this path leading to life, then we find that same pristine state.
How then can we explain that more righteous people often live in suffering, while evildoers and sinners live in bliss?
Christ told us that the path to the Kingdom of Heaven is a narrow path, that is, this path itself implies some suffering. Why such a difficult path, why do you have to enter through narrow gates? The fact is that suffering is a necessary companion to any work. Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% talent and 99% perspiration. If we want to achieve something, then we must make efforts, and that is why it is said that the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force. But we must also understand that there is suffering in the name of good, in the name of love for God and one’s neighbor, and there is senseless suffering. If I deliberately pinch my finger in a door, then I will not get closer to God or to heaven.
In general, suffering is a measure of whether we live correctly. If we do not have suffering, then we must think: something must be wrong. And when there is suffering, then we understand that we are on the right path. That is why we often hear that God really sends trials to those who love Him, although due to our weakness we naturally do not want this.
Let me give you this comparison: there are two athletes, one talented, the other not so much. What will a coach say to a more talented athlete? Naturally, he will force him to train several times a day, will constantly find fault with him, and demand better results. And to another he can say: jump, run, swim for an hour and you can go home. He gives the first one suffering, and he might be offended, but he understands that this is hard for him now, and then he will become an Olympic champion. And the second, at best, will improve your health. A person first has to force himself, and then suddenly he begins to enjoy the same thing. But this is only if you are going in the right direction.
It is still difficult for the human psyche to accept that more suffering is allowed by God for those who love Him.
It is important to understand that God uses our mistakes for our salvation and good. God does not create evil in order to use it as some kind of instrument for salvation. Such an understanding would be a form of Manichaeism. But God uses our own mistakes for our own benefit. It is in this regard that we can say that suffering is the path to salvation. God is not so heartless. He Himself became a man and He Himself suffered, not only physically, but also mentally, because he was betrayed by both his disciples and all of God’s chosen people. He experienced all the suffering that one can imagine, both physical and mental. Therefore, God is not a detached being, indifferently watching His creature suffer.
You can often read in classical Russian literature that suffering ennobles a person, but a person who lives without suffering, in bliss and luxury, deteriorates. As the Apostle Paul said, “When sin abounded, grace abounded all the more.” And what’s amazing is that the modern writer Varlam Shalamov, who spent 25 years in the Kolyma camps, actually repeated the words of the Apostle Paul. He learned from the camps that in inhumane conditions good people become better and bad people become worse. The more sin there is in the camps, the more human goodness there is in them. In this sense, suffering ennobles a person.
There are people who know how to overcome themselves, who know how to rise above their adversity and overcome their own nature, their own illness. And we respect, love and adore such people. Or people who overcome the illness of other people by feeling compassion for them. The very word “co-suffering” means suffering together. Someone is suffering, but I’m fine, I’m healthy, but I have compassion for him.
The great poet A.S. Pushkin has this phrase: “I want to live in order to think and suffer.” Why, it would seem, is it to live to suffer? Some kind of masochism. But no. No suffering - no life. Because life is struggle, improvement, moving forward, and it is always accompanied by some effort. The path to the Kingdom of Heaven is the path upward. To climb a mountain, you need to make a huge effort, but to fall from a mountain, you don’t need any effort. It's always nice to fall, especially if you don't know what awaits you below.
I recently read an interview with an American rock singer who criticizes Western civilization for creating a cult of immortality. That is, a person lives as if death does not await him, a person lives for pleasure. And for pleasures to be absolute, one must imagine that they are eternal and that there will be no retribution for them. Therefore, it is not customary either in literature or in films, especially in Hollywood, to talk about death as some kind of suffering. It is not customary to talk about death as a metaphysical terrible problem that one must always think about. Our civilization is a civilization in which suffering is sought to be eliminated.
It is often believed that God sends us suffering as punishment for some of our sins. Even the apostles thought so and in a paradoxical form asked Christ a question about a man blind from birth: “... who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind?” How could someone who was not yet born sin? “Jesus answered: Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be revealed in him.” So suffering has some other reason, and is not simply a punishment for sin. There is a book in the Bible that is entirely devoted to the problem of suffering. This is the book of Job. Righteous Job, as we remember, does not agree that he suffers for some kind of sin. But his friends constantly tell him: “You suffer, that means you have sinned.” Job says: “Let God answer me why I suffer. I am pure before God." And God reveals himself to him and says: “Gird yourself like a man,” that is, get ready for a duel, if you consider yourself equal to Me. And then God asks Job several questions in this duel, the essence of which boils down to one thing: “You say that there is a lot of bad things in the world. But can you create at least the same world? Isn’t it better, at least the same?” “No,” Job answers. - “But if not, then what are you talking about then?” There is a phrase: it’s easy to criticize, do better. We all see the speck in someone else's eye without noticing the beam in our own. So here, if Job says that the world is bad, then it means he knows how to make it better, and if he doesn’t know, and especially cannot, then he must live in the one that God created. And when Job understands and agrees, he accepts the world as it is, that is, he understands that the criterion of good and evil in the world is not he, Job, but God. And then everything returns to its previous state. This is precisely what the Fall consisted of, when Adam said: “I am the criterion of good and evil.” This was precisely Job’s forgiveness when he said: “Yes, it is not I, Job, who is the criterion, but God.” Therefore, evil and suffering in the world are a necessary consequence of the present world, corrupted by original sin. And we must accept the world as it is, thanking God for everything that He created and did for our salvation.
The sin of the first man caused suffering in the world. Because of the first mistake, man began to die from the very beginning of his existence and, taking an example from the devil, he himself became the inventor of vice, that is, he himself became guilty of all the evil that began, like a chain reaction, to spread throughout the world because of his tendency to sin.
Often a person seeks comfort everywhere and in everything, so that he drives away thoughts of suffering, illness, death - his own or those of loved ones - somewhere away, “for later.” He gets bogged down in some everyday everyday trifles, and does not notice that there are many people around him who face suffering face to face. A person often indulges in sin, petty anger, irritation, and when he himself encounters suffering, he does not even think that it was God who wanted to “shake him up” and turn him at least a little to Himself, invite him to transfer his attention from small everyday things to eternity .
In such and similar situations, people, often out of despair, turn to God, and then to the priest with the main question: “Why do I need this?”
One way or another, in the modern world, a person increasingly has to face suffering, no matter how hard he tries to avoid it. This is due to environmental deterioration, decreased life expectancy, new diseases, increasing cases of cancer (“the plague of the 21st century”), and finally, sudden disasters, terrorist attacks, etc. Children crash on motorcycles, loved ones get incurable diseases, something It still happens - in such and similar situations, people, often out of despair, turn to God, and then to the priest with the main question: “Why do I need this?” And the priest’s task is to find an individual answer for each sufferer, because each suffering is unique.
The Primordial State of Man and His Fall
Suffering as a phenomenon, abnormal in relation to God's plan for creation, is directly related to the concept of evil, and therefore to the state of resistance to God.
As has already been said, the Holy Scriptures clearly say that God did not create evil, and every creation of God is good (1 Tim. 4:4). Just like evil, God did not create suffering. It is alien to the design of His entire creation.
St. Maximus the Confessor says that “man did not initially receive the transformation of nature into... corruption and death from God,” because the Lord created him [man] in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). As St. Gregory of Nyssa says about this, it would be impossible to say about man “that he was created in the image of God if the reflected beauty were opposite to the original beauty.” And that's why man did not know suffering in his primordial state, being emotionless.
In this regard, St. Maximus says that “God, having created the nature of men, did not create with it either sensual pleasure or sensual torment.” Therefore, the state of man in Paradise was complete; however, according to the thought of St. Theophilus of Antioch, he was created capable of both the state of death and immortality: not completely mortal, but not completely immortal either. And if a person decided not to succumb to temptation and fulfill the Creator’s commandment without coercion, freely, then he would receive the immortality of the body as a reward; but since he violated the commandment, he himself became the culprit of his own death. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov speaks about this.
Now it is necessary to answer for what reason the primordial integrity is violated and suffering and death come into a person’s life.
According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, God created man out of an abundance of love and therefore wanted man to also experience love. However, to make it possible to truly love, God gave free will: with its help, a person could decide whether to love or not love, “because love always includes a choice.”
History of the Fall of Man(Genesis 3) makes obvious the fact that man comes into contact with evil through the devil, who became the first to deviate from God: ... first the devil sinned (1 John 3:8), and already with the envy of the devil death entered the human world (Wisdom 2:24).
Through temptation by the devil, who appeared in the form of a serpent, Eve fell. And by the very fact of her conversation with the serpent, Eve confirmed her fall from grace even before eating the forbidden fruit, because, not being disposed to change the will of the Creator, she would not have said: “from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, do not eat it or touch it, lest you die.”(Gen. 3:3). In the words of Eve ( "don't touch them"), which were not spoken by God, but which Eve attributed to Him, many interpreters see Eve’s reproach to the Creator “for the unnecessary severity and difficulty of His commandments and dull dissatisfaction with this.”
In the words of the serpent "...and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil"(Gen. 3:5) Blessed Augustine of Hippo sees that pride is indicated here as the beginning of all sins. And the saint continues, saying that the devil uses this phrase only because at that time “people already showed a tendency to seek satisfaction in themselves,” to seek isolation from God, which means that the state of evil had already begun in the first people before meeting with a seducing serpent, and the serpent only provokes a person, “but in no way determines a person’s choice in favor of evil.”
Being himself fallen from pride, the devil sees in the same weakness of Eve, who was already on the path of pride (Blessed Augustine of Hippo). St. Ephraim the Syrian says the same: “The tempting word would not have led those tempted into sin if the tempter had not been guided by their own desire.” And the Monk Justin (Popovich) notes: “She acted on Satan’s proposal only after she had first consciously and voluntarily accepted his proposal with all her soul.”
Here we can see the confirmation of the words of Scripture: “The beginning of pride is the removal of a person from the Lord and the retreat of his heart from his Creator» (Sir. 10:14). And therefore the devil would not be able to seduce a person... if the person had not already taken possession of self-satisfaction. That’s why he liked what he heard: “You will be like gods.” Professor A.P. Lopukhin draws attention here to the fact that the original uses the word אֱלהִים (“elohim”), which is one of the names of God. And it should be understood that man was falsely and seductively offered to be a god, since “the first people did not yet know other gods except the one true God.”
St. Ephraim the Syrian even admits that “Even if the tempter had not come, the tree itself, with its beauty, would have led to a struggle because of their desire for possession.” Thus, More than the advice of the serpent, the first parents were harmed by their own wishes.
Blessed Diadochos of Photius says that, having looked at the tree with lust and tasted from it with uncontrollable desire, Eve at the same moment experienced a “tendency to self-gratification of the flesh,” although before looking at the tree she remembered the commandment of God and was covered, as it were, with the wings of God’s love.
Eve was taught God's commandment by Adam, and he received the commandment directly from God, having experienced immeasurable Divine love for himself, and therefore “did not have any circumstances mitigating his guilt, so his sin... is heavier than Eve’s sin.” As Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes, “Both husband and wife participated in their fall with their complete freedom, for outside free will there is no sin, no evil.”
Reflecting on the event of the Fall, Blessed Augustine of Hippo says that God allowed the devil to approach man, since otherwise man would not have advanced to greater perfection, “without passing the test of evil.” In addition, it must be said in the words of St. John Chrysostom that The Lord gave the commandment not out of hatred for man, “but out of love and concern for us.”
When asked why God allowed man to be tempted, Blessed Augustine of Hippo gives the answer that this is unknown to him, however, as far as one can reason about it, it seems probable that “a man would not deserve greater praise if he could live virtuously only because that no one persuaded him to live viciously, since he had both the opportunity in nature and the desire in his will not to follow the suggestion,” and with the help of God. However, Saint Augustine further quotes from the First Council Epistle of the Apostle Peter: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble”(1 Pet. 5:5). Thus, Blessed Augustine suggests that a person, being in a state of exaltation and beginning to seek the opportunity to separate from God and be like Him, cannot further receive from God the strength to exist in the state in which he was originally created.
Having tried to isolate himself from the temptation of the devil and having been deceived, then a person is faced with a new state - fear: “And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him: [Adam,] where are you? He said, “I heard Your voice in paradise, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”(Gen. 3:9-10).
Speaking about the occurrence of suffering in human life, it is important to note that Adam and Eve, after breaking the commandment, also aggravated their guilt by unwillingness to repent, self-justification, shifting the blame (Genesis 3:9-13) and thus brought death upon themselves. However, it is important to note that death is the general concept of a person’s state outside of communication with God.
Expanding the above thesis in more detail, we should turn to the thoughts of St. Gregory Palamas. He writes that death in Holy Scripture is the main consequence of ancestral sin, but it must, however, be understood in the broad sense of the word, namely: This is, first of all, spiritual death, that is, distance from God, the Source of life. And if a person moves away from the Source of life, he finds himself in the world of corruption, where gradually physical death conquers him as a natural consequence of spiritual death. And thus, decay leads to various forms of suffering: spiritual “death, introduced into the soul through the violation of the commandment, not only spoiled the soul itself, but also burdened the body with pain and passions and ultimately subjected it to physical death.”
Besides, spiritual death made the human body painful and passionate, and finally gave him over to physical death. This is also due to the Lord’s saying following the fall: He said to Eve: I will multiply your sorrow in your pregnancy; in illness you will give birth to children; and your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you(Gen. 3:16). And he said to Adam: thorns and thistles will grow... for you (the earth); and you will eat the grass of the field; By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return.(Genesis 3:18). So The Lord determined the measure of human suffering based on the fact of the Fall.
The Monk Abba Dorotheos notes that as soon as a violation of God’s commandment was committed, Adam was expelled from paradise and, having lost his pristine state, “found himself in a state contrary to nature, that is, in the passions that ruled over him, because he, through crime made himself their slave." In addition, according to the thoughts of St. Basil the Great, a person fell ill, experienced suffering, having withdrawn “from health due to a bad lifestyle or for some other reason” that causes illness.
It must also be said that, based on the reflections of the holy fathers, cause of change of will to act against God, as in the fallen angels, so in the sinned man, - it is turning attention to oneself and forgetting God. AND Thus, man crossed out his eternal destiny, which is with God(Reverend Macarius the Great), and found himself in a world of suffering, because “it is sin that is the cause of human suffering, starting with Adam, and the greatest threat to his eternal happiness.”
Humanity was deceived by the devil, who had fallen away from God, who presented evil to Eve as strong and seductive: Having entered the path of evil, people became not gods, but beasts, not free, but slaves, and fell into the power of the law of death and suffering. All the alluring promises of evil turned out to be lies, deception.
To summarize the root cause of human suffering, it must be said that the beginning of the fall was the false pleasure obtained by deception. Here it must be added that St. Maximus the Confessor speaks of a special connection between pleasure and suffering, which is supported by passionate love for oneself “and which in the first man replaced love for God,” so that, in the opinion of St. Maximus, self-love has become the mother of all passions. In addition, it should be noted that, according to St. Gregory of Nyssa, evil began to spread in the world because the “corrupting habit of sin” entered man’s life.
Due to the fact that the world has changed since the Fall, the satisfaction of many desires (for example, in connection with the need to maintain vitality with food, which was previously carried out painlessly in Paradise) has become very difficult, because it is said to Adam: “Cursed is the earth because of you; you will eat from it in sorrow all the days of your life.”(Gen. 3:17).
Thus, God, being love and an abyss of mercy, “does not allow us to fall into complete destruction” and does everything possible so that man does not perish completely in pride, and therefore He gives man suffering as an educational means.
Suffering as a consequence of ancestral sin
Speaking about suffering, it should be noted that in Greek the word “mourn” is close in meaning to the word “to squeeze, crush,” that is, my “I” is squeezed by something else... If I grieve, then it means that something is working inside me something crafty puts pressure on the soul, prevents a person from completely ruining himself from pride and makes him humble through various humbling factors. It is no coincidence that it is said: “He gives grace to the humble”(James 4:5). And therefore, suffering and the humility acquired with its help become for a person who has left Paradise a tool that destroys egoism and returns to God.
So, the original relationship with God was severed, and sin naturally brought death and corruption into the world of people. Man began to suffer from the fact that now, in new historical circumstances, he does not have everything that he had when he was with God. Now work and illness are key factors that accompany his entire life.
However, God, by His property of omniscience, even before the creation of man, knew that he would deviate from good, but still wanted to bring “him into being and (then) call the diseased nature back to its original grace.” Thus, it can be said that God knew that man would rebel against Him. But He also knew that many would decide to follow Him and reach His Kingdom. This can be compared to how parents, foreseeing the illness of their children, still become parents, because they know that both their children and themselves will have, in addition to pain, the potential for great joy.
From the story of the Fall it is clear that the Lord announced to fallen man what his life would be like without Him: pain and suffering. And no one is able to avoid this sentence, because every person is born into this life in a passionate way, disposed towards passions through the fault of universal corruption, the corruptible body: the corruptible body burdens the soul, and this earthly temple suppresses the over-anxious mind (Wis. 9:15) .
The consequence of the sin of the first people is the changed nature of man, subject to passions from the moment of the Fall, which is biologically transmitted from generation to generation. According to the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa, evil is mixed with the nature of those who have allowed disobedience to instill illness in themselves, and therefore, as a result of the natural law of nature, “what is born is the same with the one who gave birth, so from man is born man, from the passionate is the passionate, from the sinner is the sinner.” .
Important, that every person is responsible for his own sin: “He who sows injustice will reap disaster...”(Prov. 22:8); or: “Your ways and your deeds have caused this to you; your wickedness makes you so bitter that it reaches your heart.”(Jer. 4:18). There is no need to attribute everything to the fall of Adam and Eve, but still death reigned... over those who did not sin, like the crime of Adam (Rom. 5:14). And every person born of Adam and Eve, subsequently sinning, becomes like Adam and Eve, and therefore is partially responsible with them for the consequences of their sin, both in relation to themselves and in relation to those around them and those born further.
Thus, All people become involved in suffering, in more or less degree. On the one hand, suffering really takes its origins from the sin and evil into which Adam plunged humanity; but, on the other hand, it becomes a consequence of the personal sins of people born from Adam in a passionate way. In addition, in the Holy Scriptures there will still be many examples of suffering that are not directly related to the sin of the sufferer, but were the result of the sins of others or the actions of the devil. This is, for example, the suffering of Abel, Job, and ultimately the Messiah, who endured the greatest suffering without committing the slightest sin and without being in the slightest degree guilty.
The concept of "suffering" in the Holy Scriptures
Speaking about the concept of “suffering”, it is necessary to pay attention to the use of this word in the Holy Scriptures, mainly in the texts of the Old Testament, and briefly outline the framework for understanding suffering.
In the Hebrew (Masoretic) text, in those places where the word with the root “strad-” appears in the Russian Synodal translation, the following meanings are conveyed in the Hebrew language, according to the Russian translation. Firstly, for example, according to Gen. 35:17 and Exod. 3:7 “suffering” means something difficult, difficult, severe, and even cruel. It can also be oppression or distress. Secondly, suffering is often associated with evil or lawlessness, in general, that which causes disaster, that which carries destructive force (for example, in Ruth. 1:21 or Job 6:2).
The most common association with suffering is pain or the experience of pain (eg Job 2:13). Suffering is especially often associated with birth pangs, that is, this is a state in which you want to scream (in pain), writhe in fear, or be overwhelmed with horror (for example, in Micah 4:10).
In addition, suffering is hard work that leads to exhaustion and torment (Job 5:7). Suffering is also associated with grief, misfortune, misfortune (Ps. 24:18); or with oppression, oppression, need, distress (Ps. 106:17 or Isa. 48:10).
Job and his friends. Hood. Ilya Repin.
In the New Testament (in the Greek text), markers of “suffering” are often words derived from πάσχω, which means “to endure, endure, endure, experience” (for example, Matt. 16:21; Luke 9:22; James 5: 10; 1 Pet. 2:19, etc.). In addition, “suffering” is the endurance of pain (Matt. 8:6). Or, for example, when there is some kind of constraining factor, a derivative word is used from συνέχω, which means “to restrain, embrace, clamp, embrace” (for example, Acts 28:8).
Thus, generalizing the use of the word “suffering” in Holy Scripture, we can say that it is largely associated with enduring something constraining, where this very constraining factor is to a greater extent some kind of pain (physical, or the pain of loss, or some other mental pain, such as Hagar's condition in Gen. 16:11). Or a constraining factor may be a state of oppression from the current situation (historical or personal, be it a natural disaster, war, captivity, some other oppression, for example, the suffering of the Jewish people in Egypt in Exodus 3:7, etc.). In addition, suffering can be the transference of the influence of a passionate state or some committed sin (the state of the rich man from the parable of Luke 16:25 or the metaphor of the suffering member of a single body from which the whole body suffers in 1 Cor. 12:26).
The concept of “suffering” in Russian linguistic culture
In continuation of the consideration of the biblical understanding of the concept of “suffering”, it is necessary to review the understanding of “suffering” in the Russian linguistic picture of the world, because it is impossible to consider a spiritual concept in isolation from human language.
It must be said that in Russian, etymologically, the word “suffering” is associated with such actions as “trying, achieving.” “Suffering” is associated with the process of overcoming some difficulty, pain, on the way to a positive result. That is, to suffer means to experience pain.
In the history of the Russian people, at the intersection of language and culture, an association was formed with “suffering” as hard physical work (mainly peasant labor). Often “suffering” was associated with the labor-intensive process of haymaking, harvesting, and harvesting (for example, in Old Russian, suffering land means “arable land”).
In addition, suffering is associated with the process of going through or experiencing something (hard), or “one could say “to walk along some road with pain,” to have pain as a companion on some part of one’s life path.”
So, as was clear from the review analysis of the use of the concept “suffering” in the Holy Scriptures and in connection with the etymology of the Russian word “suffering”, it is inextricably linked with pain. V. I. Dal also writes about suffering as patience, enduring moral or physical pain. In the Dictionary of the Russian Language by S.I. Ozhegov, pain is also characterized as “a feeling of suffering.” F. M. Dostoevsky wrote that “suffering and pain are always mandatory for a broad consciousness and a deep heart.”
As a marker of an organized and mature personality, suffering, experiences, “heartache,” and compassion encourage a person to act in accordance with ideals of behavior. In addition, moral pain can be called regret about some actions. And overcoming such pain presupposes the desire to change oneself or the world around us for the better.
Thus, having examined the concept of “suffering” as “pain” in the system of Russian culture and the Russian language, it should be noted that no matter how the meaning of suffering suffering and pain is assessed, however the natural desire of a person remains the cessation of any pain, any suffering.
Fear can also have social roots: fear of loss of respect, ridicule from others, deterioration of financial situation, fear of responsibility, etc. Anxiety is an unpleasant and difficult to bear feeling, including nervous tension, worry and apprehension. The occurrence of anxiety is caused by the presence of potentially dangerous situations, the threat of something, as well as a negative outlook for the future. Shame is a mental state in which a person condemns his actions, intentions or moral qualities. This state is based on the experience of one’s own guilt.
What is moral suffering?
- False information was disseminated, discrediting the honor of the victim.
- The doctor violated medical confidentiality.
- The author's rights to any work (book or music), name, photograph or publication are violated. Compensation in labor relations The issue of compensation by employers for moral damage may be associated with the following illegal actions of the tortfeasor:
- refusal to grant another leave;
- illegal dismissal;
- injury to an employee at work;
- illegal demotion;
- delay of wages;
- discrimination (by age, gender) caused by the employer’s inaction;
- violation of the non-property rights of the victim.
The court in such cases is guided by civil and labor codes to make decisions.
Legal advice: what is moral damage and moral suffering?
Attention
According to a number of psychologists, suffering is a kind of internal stimulator of anger, and then aggression, which can be observed in the development of affect. Therefore, establishing strong emotional stress and affect in a subject using a forensic psychological examination can serve as confirmation, proof that he really experienced suffering. Characteristic signs of suffering. Outwardly, a suffering person looks sad, detached from current events, and disconnected from people.
Experiences a feeling of loneliness, isolation, especially from those who care about him; feels like a loser, unhappy, defeated, unable to achieve previous successes.
Raa Law
Intangible rights are copyright, the right to use a name. And also moral damage can violate human property rights. Moral damage may result in liability, the scope of which is determined by a court decision.
A person may receive moral damage after certain events, namely:
- Deaths of loved ones;
- Inability to lead a normal life;
- Job loss;
- Disclosure of medical confidentiality;
- Slander, defaming the reputation of a citizen;
- Physical pain from injury;
- Illnesses due to experienced negative events.
Moral suffering, influencing the mental and physical health of the individual, determines the nature of physical and moral suffering. Based on this, they can be divided into degrees:
- Mild suffering.
Proving moral suffering in claims for compensation for moral damage
Info
Suffering is feelings, the emotional state of a person in the form of negative experiences that arise under the influence of events that traumatize his psyche and health, deeply affecting his personal structures, mood, well-being and other values. The emotional profile of suffering is considered one of the complex ones, since suffering itself, separately, in its pure form, is extremely rarely observed. Suffering is usually accompanied by fear, mental tension, post-traumatic stress conditions, anger, impulsivity, affect, feelings of guilt, shame, and other negative mental and emotional states.
The most common connection is between suffering and fear, suffering and stress (frustration). Thus, a threat, real or imaginary (intimidation), to commit a crime against a person can cause fear.
Compensation for moral damage according to the law of the Russian Federation
The latter, acting in a paralyzing manner on the expression of the subject’s will, his motivational sphere (motivation for achievement), contributes to the loss of courage, curtailment of life activity and, in turn, leads to moral suffering. All this contributes to the emergence of emotional tension and stress. Some psychologists directly connect suffering with stress, considering suffering as a form of emotional stress, its characteristic feature.
On the other hand, deep emotional stress (distress), especially when it has reached its third stage (exhaustion), as well as various types of post-traumatic stress state can cause moral, mental and physical suffering. A very close relationship exists between suffering and the emotions of anger and affect.
What kind of moral suffering can there be?
For example, moral harm may consist of moral suffering due to the loss of a relative, the inability to further continue active life, disclosure of family or medical secrets, loss of work, dissemination of false information discrediting the honor or business reputation of a person, defeat or temporary restriction of rights, as well as physical pain from injury, mutilation, other damage to health or illness suffered as a result of moral suffering. www.Advokat.Kollegia.RU Moral suffering is a person’s emotional and volitional experiences and is expressed in feelings of any kind of discomfort, humiliation, shame, inferiority, depression, despair, irritation, anger, etc.
Important
Currently, courts, when considering criminal and civil cases, when determining the amount of compensation for moral damage, have begun to more often pay attention to issues related to the establishment of signs confirming the physical or moral or mental suffering experienced by the subject. Such judicial practice fully complies with the requirements of the law. So, in Art. 151 of the Civil Code, when deciding issues related to compensation for moral damage, courts are ordered to “take into account the degree of physical and moral suffering associated with the individual characteristics of the person who suffered harm.”
In accordance with the resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 20, 1994
When considering a claim, not only the nature of the damage caused must be taken into account, but also the degree of guilt of the defendant. The final amount of compensation in civil law does not depend on the amount of property damage if it was claimed by the plaintiff. The assessment of the nature of physical and moral suffering is carried out separately in each specific case. Moral damage in case of an accident In case of accidents, in addition to compensation for property damage caused by damage to the vehicle, the applicant has the right to demand compensation for moral damage. Taking into account the degree of guilt of the offender, the court assigns payments. As a rule, the declared amounts are reduced several times, but in such cases the plaintiffs often receive significant compensation.
Statistics of court decisions show that in case of an accident you can receive a payment of 100-800 thousand rubles for moral damage.
What kind of moral suffering can there be when a relative dies?
It was found that 16% of victims of psychotrauma came forward as a result of a personal grievance. Thus, as already noted, 84% of those surveyed needed psychiatric help as a result of certain offenses. 24% of those examined were diagnosed with anxious depression, phobias, 40% - hysterodepression, 12% - anxious suspiciousness. The connection between the mental state on the day of treatment and the physical state is not traceable, which generally confirms what has developed not only in Russia, but also in foreign countries. Civil law has an opinion regarding the different nature of these types of moral harm. A favorable prognosis for the course of the disease is observed in 52% of patients, of whom only 8% felt improvement as a result of treatment in a psychiatric hospital. In other patients, the condition improves, as a rule, due to the cessation of the traumatic situation itself.
What kind of moral suffering can there be?
Often such persons have thoughts about their professional incompetence and loss of meaning in life; the general physical tone decreases, various types of functional disorders accompanying this appear, sleep, appetite, etc. are disturbed. (Fig. 7.12). It has been noted that the depth of suffering, as well as stress, largely depends not only on what happened, but also no less on the attitude towards what happened, on the individual psychological characteristics of a person, his attitudes, social expectations, personal predisposition to social disruptive forms of behavior. The suffering experienced by a person negatively affects his professional activity and cognitive activity, which usually does not go unnoticed by his immediate environment.
The law mentions two types of this kind of experience: moral, mental suffering and physical suffering. Rice.
Don't think that we're all masochists here. Suffering strengthens us, even if it is hard. They make us stronger, better and more tolerant. Good days don't change us, but bad days sometimes make everything change. If someone thinks that good days make us better, because they are all so sunny and positive, I will say absolutely for sure: good days change us only slightly, but real problems change us dramatically.
Suffering stays with us all day and all night, seeping into our dreams and waking us with a sharp reminder of its presence. It gets stuck in our clothes and we wear it along with a fake smile until we gradually begin to move away from it.
You walk around with a sour expression all day, you envy all the people who pass by, because it seems to you that they were not as unhappy as you. You are the only one in the world who bears this burden, such definitely hasn't happened to anyone, but that's not true. There have been worse situations in the world; it’s not even worth remembering the starving people of Africa, and there are so many examples. No matter how beautiful or ugly, rich or perfectly pumped up other people are, it seems that they know no sorrows. In fact, everyone has problems, anxieties, and unhappiness. We are all prisoners of our own minds and thoughts that lead us to depression. Seemingly completely unequal problems can lead to equal suffering - it all depends on perception.
While you think that your problems cannot be worse, and suffering cannot bring anything good, today’s article is about the benefits of mental suffering and its beneficial effects.
1. It builds character.
Strong-willed people are not born that way. People who are truly impressive, once upon a time, could have been pathetic wimps, whom any authoritarian person could, without a twinge of conscience, put an end to. Only correctly endured suffering, only hardening and difficulties can make people truly human. In most literary works, films and life stories, heroes turn from weaklings into heroes precisely after suffering well. turned into Heisenberg when he got cancer. Willie Stark from the novel became what he is after he realized that he was tritely used and made to look like a fool. All this suggests that drastic changes in character and lifestyle occur when life begins in it.
2. It will make you more sensitive to other people's suffering.
Previously, you thought that breaking up with a girl was not a reason for suffering. The sea is full of fish! Then you understood these feelings after experiencing something similar yourself. Suffering helps you understand other people’s points of view and with your own mind reach the simple truth: ostentatious cynicism is mere self-defense and nothing more. Such cynicism is ridiculous and is only suitable for inexperienced schoolchildren or people who are afraid to show their emotions to others.
Suffering can help us appreciate art, sad movies, understand the complexity of human emotions, and respond differently to different things.
3. It toughens you up.
The problem with modern people is that they avoid suffering and do not become tougher with age. Suffering strengthens us, makes us more resilient, calm and experienced. A wrong experience can lead to the fact that you come out of the situation not as a winner, but as a loser - with broken feelings, hardened and full of anger. This is anger, which is the same grinding of old suffering. You haven’t really experienced anything, you’ve simply closed access to your emotions. You sit like a dog in the manger, guarding a pile you don’t need and growling at everyone who passes by.
If you have scars on your soul, you will henceforth experience difficulties with greater ease. It will be more difficult to intimidate you and persuade you to doubt in the spirit: “Don’t you think that you are living wrong?” You have your own specific experience, which means you have a chance to truly make your own judgment.
4. Perspective
When we deal with real grief, we see life differently. We fully understand the importance of happiness when we lose it. We can also finally truly appreciate the little things in life.
When you feel something really bad, you have a much better understanding of what something good actually looks like. The most important thing is that you will know that there is hope and feel it. It seems like a “ray of hope” - this is some kind of crap, almost like a unicorn. But it really exists. And also, just like in the article about, you will learn to find small joys, for example, in a large meat pizza.
5. "Grounding"
No matter how smart, cunning and dexterous you are, if you have not experienced suffering, the first difficulty will knock you down. Even the smallest and insignificant one. At a certain point, we forget that we are only human, and suffering reminds us that we are not the main beings in the universe, but that it lives according to its own laws and will live after us.
All suffering is caused by desires
Question: I came from afar. I had some experience of internal experiences, and I would like to exchange impressions.
Maharaj: Please. Do you know who you are?
IN: I know that I am neither body nor mind.
M: How do you know this?
IN: I feel like I'm not in the body. It seems like I'm everywhere, everywhere. As for the mind, I can turn it on and off. This gives me the feeling that I am not the mind.
M: When you feel like you are everywhere in the world, do you remain separated from the world? Or are you the world?
IN: This and that. Sometimes I feel like I am not my mind or my body, but a single all-seeing eye. When I go deeper into it, I find that I have become what I see, then the world and I become one.
M: Very good. Do you still have any wishes?
IN: Yes, they come, short and shallow.
M: And what do you do with them?
IN: What can I do? They come and go. I'm watching them. Sometimes I notice that my body and mind come together to perform them.
M: Whose wishes come true?
IN: They are part of the world in which I live. They are like trees or clouds.
M: Aren't they a sign of imperfection?
IN: Why should they be? They are who they are and I am who I am. How can the appearance and disappearance of desires affect me? Of course, they influence the form and content of the mind.
M: Very good. What is your job?
IN: I supervise probationers.
M: What does it mean?
IN: Juvenile offenders are placed on probation and there are special officers to monitor their behavior and help them get training and find work.
M: Do you have to work?
IN: Who works? The work just happens.
M: Do you need to work?
IN: I need a job to earn money. I like her because thanks to her I can communicate with people.
M: Why do you need people?
IN: They may need me, it was their destinies that sent me to this work. After all, it's just one life.
M: How did you get to this point?
IN: The teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi showed me the way. Then I met a certain Douglas Harding, who helped me by showing me how to work with “Who Am I?”
M: Did it happen suddenly or gradually?
IN: It happened quite suddenly. It’s like a returning memory of something long forgotten. Or like a sudden flash of understanding. “How simple,” I said to myself. - How simple. I am not what I thought I was! I am neither the perceived nor the perceiver, I am only the perception.”
M: Not even perception, but what makes all this possible.
IN: What is love?
M: When there is no feeling of separation and difference, it can be called love.
IN: Why is there so much tension in love between men and women?
M: Because happiness in such love occupies a very important place.
IN: Isn't this true in all love?
M: Not necessary. Love can hurt. Then you call it compassion.
IN: What is happiness?
M: Happiness is harmony between internal and external. On the other hand, self-identification with external causes is suffering.
IN: How does self-identification happen?
M: The self, by nature, knows only itself. Due to the lack of experience, everything that it perceives, it takes for itself. Having received enough blows, it learns vigilance ( Viveka) and loneliness ( vairagya). When the correct behavior uparati) becomes the norm, a strong inner urge ( mukmukshutva) forces him to look for his source. The body candle is lit and everything becomes clear and bright ( atmaprakash).
IN: What is the real cause of suffering?
M: Self-identification with the limited ( vyaktitva). Feelings as such, no matter how strong they may be, are not the cause of suffering. It is a mind bewildered by false ideas, clinging to the thought “I am this, I am that,” fearing loss, striving for gain, and suffering when its expectations are not met.
IN: One of my friends had terrible nightmares night after night. The thought of going to bed was agony. Nothing could help him.
M: Society of Genuine ( satsang) could help him.
IN: Life itself is a nightmare.
M: True friendship ( satsang) is the best cure for all ills, physical and mental.
IN: Usually a person cannot find such friendship.
M: Search within. Your Self is your best friend.
IN: Why is life so full of contradictions?
M: This is necessary to break the pride of the mind. We must understand how poor and powerless we are. As long as we deceive ourselves by imagining what we are, know, have, or do, our position is unenviable. Only in complete self-denial is there a chance to find our true being.
IN: Why is such importance attached to self-denial?
M: The same as self-realization. The false self should be dropped, then the true self can be found.
IN: That “I” that you call false is painfully real to me. This is the only "me" I know. What you call the true Self is just a concept, a way of speaking, a creation of the mind, an attractive ghost. I admit that my ordinary self is not beautiful, but it is my own and only self. You say that I am, or have, another “I”. Do you see him? Is it real to you, or do you want me to believe in something that you yourself cannot see?
M: Don't be quick to judge. Concrete does not mean real, conceived does not mean false. Perception based on the senses and ordered by memory requires a perceiver whose nature you have never attempted to explore. Give it your full attention, explore it with loving care, and you will discover heights and depths of existence that you, immersed in your insignificant self-image, never dreamed of.
IN: I must be in the right frame of mind for my self-inquiry to bear fruit.
M: You must be serious, determined, truly interested. You must be kind to yourself.
IN: I'm quite selfish.
M: Not enough. You constantly destroy yourself and yours by serving foreign gods, harmful and false. Be selfish by any means necessary, but in the right way. Wish yourself well, work on what is good for you. Destroy everything that stands between you and happiness. Be everything - love everything - be happy - bring happiness. There is no greater happiness.
IN: Why does love bring so much suffering?
M: All suffering is caused by desires. True love never disappoints. How can a sense of unity bring disappointment? What can be frustrating is the desire for expression. This desire comes from the mind. As with all mental things, disappointment is inevitable.
IN: What place does sex have in love?
M: Love is a state of being. Sex is energy. Love is wise, sex is blind. If you understand the true nature of love and sex, there will be no conflicts or misunderstandings.
IN: But there is so much sex without love.
M: Without love everything is evil. Life itself without love is evil.
IN: What can help me fall in love?
M: You are love itself when you are not afraid.
