Convenient Suffering

Suffering has gone commercial and been extremely romanticized, but why?

Suffering has been a buzz word in the fitness community, a word that David Goggins, Cameron Hanes, and Nick Bare all have used to sum up the feeling of grueling workouts deep in their training for their next feat of fitness. But why is ‘suffering’ rising in popularity? All over every short form content platform, I see young men and women push themselves to the brink of the capacity their central nervous system can handle, this is not just done for a few thousand views or likes, this is an attempt to feel like a ‘someone’. I only say that because such efforts can be detrimental to one’s health and body, but when this is posted on social media the suffering’s qualities becomes diminished. These immense efforts feel diminished because they have moved away from being proud of increasing strength or fitness and moved increasingly into the more I suffer the more people follow and like my content. This diminishes the quality results of suffering and make them a shallow and hollow attempt at fame.

While there are certain parameters in which suffering can alter the course of one’s life for the better, in fitness or life overall, I think the connotation and reason behind one’s choice is a powerful indication on the healthiness of the commitment to feat’s of fitness or in life that require one to suffer in order to achieve an end result. When suffering is done to better oneself or mental preparation for moments in life of suffering, this is where I believe the return on one’s investment in suffering begins to pay off. While on a random hot Friday morning in the dead heat of Florida summer I may not see the result of a grueling workout, I am investing in growing the amount of suffering I am willing to place myself under. Now this does sound a bit dramatic, I will be the first to admit it, but it has reigned true through the people I have met and the stories they have told me about overcoming immense odds against them. Increasing the amount of suffering one takes on produces a person that is unshakeable in the small things and strong in moments where life is kicking you while you’re down.

I would encourage you to start living your life, challenging yourself to do hard things, push yourself past limits you never thought possible, but do this privately. Choosing suffering in private and allowing the results to speak for yourselves creates humility and meekness, both characteristics that are extremely valuable in a social media age where everyone is attempting to promote self.

As always, I will admit a few caveats to this post. Two caveats stick out to me when I think about suffering in the context I live in: I have the luxury of choosing where and how I suffer, there are others who do not have such luxury and are stronger in body, mind, and spirit because of it. The luxury we have to live in a first world country to largely choose where and how we suffer is often overlooked unless we are made aware of it. I personally choose things that are uncomfortable and attempt to be consistent in them, beating myself into doing something x amount of times a day, week, month, or year. While this is good in its own right, I like to remind myself of the blessing I have of freedom of mind to be able to do this. There are people who are persecuted for their beliefs in Jesus, people living in war stricken countries for reasons they are not tied to, and people living under militant or dictator ruled regimes that cannot escape unless they risk their life. With a world picture in mind, not just the city, state, or country you live in, commit to something today because we have the blessing and luxury to.

I am proud of you.

from your friend,

Michael