Do people cause their own suffering?
Other than those people who suffer from medical conditions or terminal illnesses or incarceration, do people create their own living hell? Whether it is a customer who is screaming in agony because a package is showing up a day late. Or a teenaged girl is suffering because she is not getting any attention from her boyfriend. Or a person who hates his or her job yet continues to stay year after year. Do you believe that suffering is a choice? And if you believe suffering is a choice, is it possible to choose happiness?
In Buddhism there are four truths: Life is suffering. Suffering is due to attachments. Understanding this, one can transcend over their attachments. Once one transcends over their attachments, they will no longer suffer.
In other words, do some people build mountains over molehills? It occurs to me suffering can be reduced by the notion of acceptance. If one were able to reduce their suffering after accepting what happens, then is it possible for anyone to accept negative circumstances even before they happen. If someone were to accept negative circumstances before they happen, then will they suffer less. And if they are able to suffer less, when things don't work out for them, then is it still having the ability to choose not to suffer? If one can choose not to suffer, then is it also the same as choosing to be happy?
