“To suffer terribly and to know yourself as the cause: that is Hell.”
This quote is from the book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, by Canadian psychologist and author, Jordan B. Peterson (b. 1962).
To begin to fully-understand this quote, we must know that, as human beings; we are born into a world for seemingly no reason, with no guide, given flawed parents, our country of birth could be a paradise or a war-torn wasteland, and we could grow-up to become an athlete or forever confined to a wheelchair.
For these reasons, it seems as though we have no choice in our suffering, and yes, to a certain extent that is true. What is also true, is that some our suffering is the result of our own choices in life.
This can often be the worst kind of suffering, as it takes tremendous bravery and courage to take responsibility for our part in our own suffering, and to make the necessary changes within ourselves, to overcome our suffering.
It is all so easy to blame the chaos of the Universe, or the lottery of life, for our misfortune. The difficulty is accepting it is the person looking at you in the mirror as the cause.
More importantly, and more difficult to accept, is that even if you believe you had no choice, or did not know any better at the time, it was you that acted against your own self-interest.
This is not to say you should always blame yourself.
Instead, it is to empower you to know, at every moment in life, you are the one in the driving-seat.
Peterson’s quote does speak to a harsh truth in life, almost too harsh to comprehend for some.
However, the end result is that once you accept your own part in your own suffering, the truth is, you can also be responsible for your own happiness too.
Know thyself. Be brave. Be courageous.
Be free.
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