Introduction
For thousands of years, many traditions—especially within certain spiritual and religious systems—have claimed that existence is inherently suffering. This idea, often repeated in slogans such as “Life is pain” or “Existence is suffering”, has shaped countless minds and lives, becoming a cornerstone of some philosophies and spiritual practices. But is it actually true?
This essay demonstrates categorically, and completely, that such a claim is not only false, and fucking stupid moreover (no offence) —it is deeply harmful, illogical, and distorting. While pain is undeniably part of existence, it is not the whole of it. Life is not equivalent to suffering. Pain is a conditional, temporary experience—closer in nature to an illness than to a definition of being. And healing is not only possible—it’s probable, with the right knowledge, support, and time.
This is not a motivational pep talk. This is philosophy. This is clarity. This is truth.
1. The Central Claim: “Existence is suffering”
The claim that existence is suffering is usually taken as an absolute truth by those who believe in it. Without ever asking: is this actually true? What does it mean if it is true?
In some traditions, like certain readings of Buddhism, it is considered a foundational premise: that all of life is fundamentally marked by dissatisfaction, pain, craving, and loss. Often this is taken to mean that even joy is deceptive—because it eventually fades and gives way to more craving or emptiness.
On the surface, this can seem deep, even noble. It appears to speak to some of our real experiences: heartbreak, grief, anxiety, aging, death. But once you begin to analyze it logically and empirically—asking whether the statement is actually true in totality—it collapses. And reveals contradictory, unacceptable conclusions.
2. The Logical Problem: Totalization = Error
To say “existence is suffering” is to totalize suffering. This turns a real part of life into a definition of life. And that’s where the error begins.
It is like saying, “The sky is always stormy,” just because storms exist.
It ignores every experience that does not involve pain—like laughter, love, comfort, curiosity, beauty, peace, or satisfaction. If even one moment of peace or joy can be demonstrated, the absolute claim collapses. And these moments don’t just exist—they abound. Most people, even depressed ones, can recall small moments of safety or joy: sipping water, hearing music, seeing a loved one, resting after exhaustion.
Therefore, the totalizing claim that “life is suffering” is not merely harsh—it is false. We only suffer sometimes, in certain ways, but most of the time we do not suffer. Even the most depressed person has had times when they did not suffer. Hence disproving the statement.
3. Redefinition Games and Logical Sleight of Hand
Now, defenders of this doctrine often move the goalposts. When challenged, they may redefine “suffering” to mean something more abstract—like dissatisfaction, change, or craving. This is a philosophical sleight of hand that makes the idea unfalsifiable. It also makes it useless. This pisses me off to no end, and I fucking hate that so-called ‘philosophers’ do this. That they haven’t investigated this belief which I literally kicked over with 30 minutes of basic questioning. That they moreover push this stupid belief out to people who believe them due to their academic credentials etc. and get actually harmed by it.
Ideas have consequences. It’s completely unacceptable to call yourself a thinker and push this kind of stupidity. Without thinking it through even in a basic way. I don’t have any anger for regular people since they are victims in my view. Literally at times i.e. this type of thinking has led many sad people to literally killing themselves as they think there is no end in sight to their suffering. Or to kill others because they believe that suffering is ok, since it’s part of life. It’s evil and bad and terrible and shameful. Fuck I hate that so called intellectuals do it. I piss on your work. Stop calling yourself a philosopher if you do this. Call yourself a retard in a beret, or a hobbyist. But not a philosopher.
Now when challenged they will do what I call Flexible Fallacy. They will swap absolutes with conditionals as fits their needs. Or use magical thinking without justifying the claims they make.
They might say for example:
Them: Life is suffering. Meaning life is always suffering. It’s only suffering. (absolute)
Me: But im not suffering right now, i feel good.
Them: well of course you can feel good sometimes but you’ll suffer soon again. Meaning life is only suffering sometimes or most of the time. But not all the time. (conditional).
Them: therefore you see life is suffering . Again smuggling in their initial disproven statement. (absolute)
This is what I call a flexible fallacy.
They will do it with the meaning of suffering too. For instance:
- They may say suffering includes subtle dissatisfaction, even in pleasure.
- Or say that because pleasure ends, it therefore “contains” suffering.
- Or that even craving a good thing is suffering.
But if “suffering” can mean anything—mild craving, impermanence, dissatisfaction—then it loses all useful meaning. You could just as easily say, “Existence is joy” because all pain is felt by a living being capable of joy, or “Existence is change”, or “Existence is love”. These are no more or less true unless proven.
This brings us to the next important point: definition matters.
Section: The Illusion Fallacy – Two False Extremes
I. The Lie That Only Suffering Is Real
One of the most destructive beliefs a person can absorb is the idea that suffering is the only true thing in existence, and that all joy, pleasure, or peace is merely a brief distraction or illusion. This is the foundational claim in many religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions. It is not only false—it is intellectually dishonest.
Why? Because it assumes that only pain counts as real. But on what basis? You cannot say suffering is “more real” than joy simply because it hurts more. That’s like saying a loud noise is more “true” than silence. Both exist. Both happen. Intensity is not evidence of deeper truth.
When someone laughs, smiles, feels love, tastes food, or holds someone they care about—these are not illusions. They are real experiences. The same nervous system that registers pain also registers delight, satisfaction, excitement, calm. To say one is real and the other is fake is not a position—it’s a bias. A delusion, in fact.
And if we’re being strict: if suffering were the default condition of existence, you would feel it constantly—like a migraine you cannot escape. But we don’t. We sleep without pain. We walk, breathe, talk, eat, feel joy, feel nothing, feel peace—all without suffering. That proves it is not constant. Not universal. And therefore not the “truth of life.” It’s just one part of life.
If anything is illusion, it’s the story that says only suffering is real.
II. The Lie That Suffering Isn’t Real at All
On the other side of the spectrum is the new-age claim that suffering doesn’t truly exist—that it’s all an illusion of the mind. This belief tells people their depression is a thought error, that trauma is just a mental habit, that anxiety is a “vibration” they can shift with enough focus. It says, in effect, “you feel bad because you’re thinking badly.”
This is just as false—and just as cruel.
If you have ever been truly depressed, or in grief, or in anxious agony, you know this is not just “thoughts.” These are full-body states. Biological, emotional, cognitive. They do not go away just because you want them to. You can’t solve a broken leg by changing your mindset. You can’t think your way out of drowning.
Suffering is not an illusion. It is real, measurable, observable. It’s an illness—and like any illness, it has real causes and real cures. It isn’t shameful. It isn’t your fault. But it is real, and ignoring it only lets it grow stronger.
Just as it’s wrong to say suffering is everything, it’s equally wrong to say it’s nothing.
Conclusion
Both extremes—the idea that only suffering is real, and the idea that suffering isn’t real at all—are lies.
The truth is simple: suffering is one part of existence. It is real, but not constant. It is powerful, but not permanent. It can be caused by you, but often isn’t. And most importantly: it can be healed.
There is no need to worship suffering or pretend it doesn’t exist. See it clearly, respond wisely, and live in pursuit of what is true and good—because those exist too.
4. What Is Suffering, Really?
Let us define suffering properly.
Suffering is:
“A state of significant emotional or physical distress that the conscious subject wishes would end.”
This includes:
- Physical pain
- Grief or loss
- Severe anxiety or dread
- Existential despair
- Emotional torment (betrayal, abandonment, etc.)
This is how most people understand “suffering.” That is what a child means when she cries. That is what a man means when he says he’s “in pain.”
Now let us ask: is this state the constant condition of existence?
Clearly, no.
Eating food when hungry is pleasurable. Drinking cold water when thirsty brings relief. Laughing with a friend, feeling love, lying under the sun—these are not suffering. They may involve change, or end eventually—but they are not painful while happening.
And if you respond, “Ah, but it ends, so it causes suffering,” then you are no longer talking about suffering—you are talking about impermanence.
5. The Physical Test: Imagine a Truly Painful Life
If life were truly defined by suffering, then it would mean:
- Every breath would hurt.
- Every bite of food would taste like ash.
- Every sensation would be some form of discomfort.
- Every thought would generate despair.
- No action would relieve it. No event would change it.
That is what a life of pure suffering would mean. But real life is not like this. Even people in deep pain—like the clinically depressed—will often say that some moments break through, even briefly. A moment of music, a hug, a memory, a pet.
This tells us something important: pain is not the total of life. It is an illness within it.
6. The Medical Analogy: Pain Is an Illness
The most helpful way to understand pain—especially mental or emotional pain—is as a form of illness.
- Just as your body can become ill with the flu, your mind can become sick with despair.
- Just as you can catch a cold from external conditions (weather, infection), you can suffer emotionally from external events (grief, trauma, poverty).
- Just as you can weaken your body with bad habits (e.g. smoking), you can generate pain in your life through toxic behavior (lying, hurting others, addiction).
- But just as some illnesses are not your fault, so too some pain is not moral failure. It’s just part of being alive in a vulnerable body and mind.
And like physical illness, emotional pain can be treated:
- With rest
- With connection
- With medication
- With therapy
- With changes in routine, mindset, or support
This view brings healing without shame. You are not broken—you are unwell. And you can heal.
7. Pain Is Conditional
This is a key philosophical truth:
Pain is conditional.
It requires certain causes:
- You must be exposed to loss, violence, illness, or deprivation.
- You must have a system capable of suffering (nervous system, mind).
- You must be in a state that produces distress.
This means pain is not the default state of being. It is a possibility, not a law.
Just like:
- You can catch a cold in the right conditions, but not always.
- You can get cancer, but not every year.
- You can break a bone, but you can also go years without doing so.
So too with suffering: it arises, it hurts, but it passes.
8. Pain Can Be Healed
Not every wound heals instantly. Some are deep. Some need support. But:
All Pain can be reduced, relieved, or outlived.
Just as cancer once seemed untreatable, emotional pain too can be understood more clearly and healed better with time, wisdom, science, and care. Also pain itself has a sort of adjustment to and reducing nature. In other words, when you burn your hand, the most pain you feel is at the start. Then it dulls down. So too with emotional pain. Thus even if you do nothing, your pain sort of heals itself. If you add medicine to it, then you will have full healing. Just like how your body will heal your skin burn, but if you use certain creams, or get certain surgery you will heal completely, and faster too.
In the future, there should be a science of emotional medicine as clear as physical medicine—built on principles like:
- Identifying the specific type of emotional pain (grief, anxiety, shame, etc.)
- Providing the right “medicine” (rest, therapy, medication, community)
- Supporting recovery through structure, habits, and education
Until then, we do what we can: treat our emotional pain with care, not shame.
9. Suffering Is Not a Moral Condition
One of the most dangerous beliefs is that pain equals punishment.
Many religions and cultures teach that if you suffer, you deserve it:
- You sinned.
- You’re being tested.
- The universe is punishing you.
- You have “karma” to burn off.
- You’re not enlightened enough.
This is false and cruel. While some pain is the result of our choices (e.g. addiction, dishonesty), much of it is not.
A child does not choose abuse. A soldier does not choose PTSD. A mother does not choose grief. Pain is not a moral sentence—it is a human reality.
Thinking this way leads to guilt, shame, and even more suffering. It delays healing. Instead, we should treat pain as we do illness: with dignity, compassion, and proper care.
10. The True Nature of Existence
If existence is not suffering—what is it?
Existence is multifaceted.
It contains:
- Moments of deep joy
- Periods of calm peace
- Episodes of suffering
- Surges of love
- Terrains of boredom
- Bursts of excitement
- Times of fear, doubt, regret—and also relief, laughter, hope
In this light, suffering is one small slice of the cake, not the cake itself. Not most of the cake. Not most of life. Not the main thing you feel. Just a small, but yes painful, thing you feel sometimes.
Just as life contains days and nights, summer and winter, wakefulness and sleep—it also contains joy and pain.
But the overwhelming truth is that:
- Most people, most of the time, are not in pain. Even those who are in pain now, will not be in pain relatively soon. And they will not be in pain most of the time thereafter.
- Even in pain, relief is possible.
- And pain, far from being the essence of life, is a temporary disturbance in it.
11. The Message to the Suffering Person
To anyone in pain, know this:
What you feel is real. It matters. But it is not forever.
You are not being punished. You are not broken.
You are unwell. And unwellness can be healed.
You do not need to escape life—you need time, care, rest, perhaps medicine, perhaps love.
Do not believe the lie that life is suffering. That lie grows the pain.
Life is many things. And most of them are not suffering.
Even now, in your darkest hour, the truth stands beside you: pain is not your name. It is just something you are feeling. And it will pass.
Conclusion
The ancient claim that “existence is suffering” is not profound—it is mistaken. And in my view, fucking stupid, no offence to the perhaps great people who have said it. Just because someone great says a thing, it doesn’t make it true. This goes for my own words too. Please tear them apart – Father Truth does not require me to defend him. Whatever is true will break your weapon like glass on rock. So we never need fear attacking what is true. Only what’s false falls down easily. This idea is very bad, harmful, and has actually led to real world negative consequences including suicide, crime, and prolonged suffering. It mistakes one real, but small, part of life for the whole of life. It turns a wound into an identity. It closes the door on hope by redefining pain as fate.
The truth is simpler, humbler, and more human:
Existence includes suffering. But existence is not suffering.
Pain is not the meaning of life. It is not the essence of being. It is (most of the time) not your fault. And it is not your destiny. It is an illness that can be healed, like any other illness. It it not (most of the time) a moral failing. It just means you are unwell, and need medicine. That may be love, it may be sunshine, we also need a new science of emotional medicine to rise now. Just like how we stopped the superstition of the past and got physical body medicine. We now need doctors of the emotions to rise too. With real tested scientific means for curing sadness and pain.
I would leave it to you, dear reader of the future to do this. To be like the great medicine scientists who refused to turn to superstition, and instead created hygiene, surgery, biomedical science and real healing. You can do this. You can help the people of today and tomorrow. And really change the world by doing so. That is my request to you, dear reader.
Pain is not the meaning of life. Existence is not suffering. Pain is just one small part of life. Life is mostly not pain and mostly good.
It is a shadow that passes. And after it passes, light still remains.
Let us live by that truth.
Discover more from Real Philosophy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
