Begin necessary background information

In another thread, in response to a question posed by bradybaker on what I thought was more important than the origins of the universe, I replied with the following:

Originally posted by bradybaker
I respect your opinions, but find that position unfortunate. People will always be suffering, people will always be happy and sad regardless of your intervention, you will grow personally whether you choose to embrace it or not. Instead of worrying myself with the petty squabbles of humanity, I'd rather spend my time asking big questions and trying my damndest to get answers...or at least something close, the answer must be in the attempt.
We are not somehow independent from one another. Every action we make, every word we say, and every thought we think -- because thoughts leads to words and actions -- has an effect on someone else. Even if we do not think it does, or cannot immediately perceive the effect, it occurs nonetheless.

People are happy or sad, not only because they make themselves happy or sad, but much more so because other people make then happy or sad. Happiness and sadness is not somehow separate from us. Suffering is not somehow separate from us.

People suffer because we make them suffer. They suffer because we allow them to suffer. They suffer because we allow others to make the suffer.

We're not separate from suffering and we shouldn't push it away. We should not turn our back to it either. We can take care of suffering. We can learn to help transform it. Being organic, hate and anger can always be turned into happiness, joy, and love. The opposite is also true, and many times our happiness and love turn into hate and anger. Because we didn't care for our happiness. We didn't know how to. And we don't know how to care for our anger, and we we bottle it up or push it away or use it to lash out. But if we know how to care for it, we can turn it back into happiness. We can see the happiness in our anger the moment it arises, and we can smile at it and care for the anger.

When we know how to care for ourselves, we can care for those around us too. We effect their lives, and should try to live in a way that also helps them to care for their anger, and their hate, and their suffering. Knowing how to care for ourselves, we can turn to them and say, "My dear, I know you suffer so much. I can help you to care for your suffering. I can help to relive some of the pain."

We should live in a way so that they do not suffer as much.

And it is not just humans that suffer. We make our earth suffer much as well. We can also know how to care for the earth, to help heal it. Knowing how to care for ourselves, we can turn to the earth, smile, and say, "Don't worry earth, I know you are suffering. I can know how to care for you. I can help relieve some of your suffering."

If we bottle up suffering, we become like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment. Soon we become easily set off, and others do not want to be around us because even the smallest thing could cause us to explode, burning everyone around us.

If we push suffering away, we have not accomplished anything. We might hit our pillow or punch the wall, and getting all that energy out we feel better and think our anger or suffering has left us. But really it has not. We have done nothing to take care of it, and have only helped it to grow. If we go get something to eat or drink to replenish our energy, we might find that our suffering soon returns, maybe stronger than it was before.

But if we take care of our suffering, soon we will suffer much less. And we will know how to help care for the suffer of others. And we will be able to stand and smile at all the suffering in the world.