Suffer, but suffer rightly

Question: Is suffering necessary to reach the Truth?

Acharya Prashant: A lot of suffering is just unnecessary. If it is unnecessary, give it up. A part of it is necessary. If it is necessary, go through it.

We can see the next question coming. What is the next question?

How do we know which part of the suffering is necessary, and which part is unnecessary?

You see, you move about like a drunkard on the road and get hit or keep hitting, and abuse and get abused, and blow up your money, and all of that has a suffering component attached to it. That is unnecessary. Even if you suffer for a thousand years, you won’t be spiritually elevated.

If you get cursed by a thousand men, for a thousand years, it won’t elevate your spiritual status even a little. So that kind of suffering is totally foolish. Just give it up. You don’t need to suffer. Ego finds a perverse pleasure even in suffering.

People meet me and so many of them say that all the great Yogis and Rishis (Sages), they suffered so much, and that is why they arrived at greatness. To this, I said that, not everybody who suffers arrives at greatness. There has to be a particular quality even in suffering. Not all suffering is necessary. Most of human suffering is totally unnecessary. Give it up!