Hermann Hesse: Finding Deeper Meaning In Our Suffering

Finding deeper meaning in life's painful experiences is deeply transformative. Gradually learning the gifts of the alchemist - seeking and embracing the gifts hidden in even the darkest of places - has radically changed me and the way I live my life. Growing up in an emotionally starved environment with a severely narcissistic mother who was incapable of compassion (before she received treatment in her late 80's), for instance, has been the birthplace of my passion for compassion. Suffering and healing great trauma as a child has gifted me with the capacity I have for working with children and families over the past nearly 30 years. It is not that I am a new ager and believe everything is part of a greater divine plan. I do not. I do not justify or condone great acts of harming oneself or others and clearly see so much senseless violence in our world that is certainly not part of anything God/Goddess/Spirit/Mystery/Creator (or whatever name we use for The One) invokes. However, it is my experience that if we do seek to respond to our suffering and that of others with an intention rooted in love and compassion, than our experiences have the great potential to add to the healing and awakening in our lives and in the world. At least this has been my experience. Bless us all on our journeys. ~ Molly

I began to understand that suffering and disappointments 

and melancholy are there not to vex us or cheapen us or deprive us 

of our dignity but to mature and transfigure us.

 

- Hermann Hesse