{'the suffering one endures is directly proportional to the time one is not present to the moment' -LightLizard}

Being in the present does tend to eliminate a lot of suffering...only reflecting on the journey does the magnitude of suffering seem to increase...good thought there

"seems like almost everybody wants to avoid suffering. it might be obvious and redundant to even make such a statement, but, can we avoid suffering? who has ever been able to live without some degree of it? are we supposed to avoid it, or at least, try to avoid it? is that the point, or purpose to life?"

We choose to travel to this life to taste suffring and along the the way we tend to get twisted up inside...reflecting on suffering and learning to forgive=forget it(forgiving harm and not forgetting harm is a sure sign that forgiveness never occured). Forgetting is turning the corner from forgiving but still being on guard to a new place that is acceptance...doing what it takes to clean up the damage and letting it go...the way you forive a little toddler for wrong behavior...you might be angry for second for spilt milk but you clean up the mess and let it go....When they spill again...you don't hold the last spilt mil over their head....now magnify that by all harm caused being like spilt milk... We can't keep holding the living and dead responsible for harm caused to others but we can do some cleaning up of the mess....that is why we pray for peace and if we back it up with action...being peace...we can reduce suffering. Living in unconditional love(forgiving and forgetting harm) we also untwist that part of us that becomes twisted by this twisted world...but we chose to come here and become twisted to learn that lesson of untwisting...

so many cry and fight for world peace. is it because they care about something outside of themselves, or is it just trying to manipulate the world into being the way they want so they can feel 'safe' and 'secure.'?

I have come to the conclusion that fighting for world peace adds energy to the forces causing war... instead we just need to refuse to participate in war... What a tragedy war is... Don't send your babies to anyone's bloody war... Peace is an individual decision not related to war...choose peace...rather than fight for peace...

"maybe we're supposed to suffer, here on earth. maybe it is a school where we learn about unconditional love under the harshest of conditions. what good is unconditional love if it won't see one through and beyond the greatest trials? could it be worthwhile, or even deserve the title, 'unconditional' without durability?"
It is how a sword is hardened...the final product taken from the swordmaker is heated up to terrific degree(living in this world) then cooled down to maintain its strength... We want to taste and feel and smell that burning, burning, burning... that is why we choose to participate in suffering...

The best sword though is light...the light sword never touches flesh....it just shines on darkness and darkness flees before it...Hardening our spirit in the heat of this world we can form our sword of unconditional love and forgetting all harm and this is the only sword I would ever want to use... One day a sword like this will sweep away every tear and in its place a tear will change to a river of life.


"why are people so eager to change the world, but so opposed to changing themselves?"

It is always someoneelses neighborhood that needs fixing isn't it.

i know there's no final answer to any of these questions. but i also know that someone will have to try to answer them. i hope they come up with even more useful questions...and will share them...

Thanks for the wonderful thoughts...