Suffering vs suffering

[Thanatos]

I hate to compare suffering but..

Currently, there is work-related stress. Even though at times it drives me mad, I welcome it because it seems nothing compared to existential angst. At least this suffering (mundane, work-related) makes sense - it is logical. There is a cause and effect.

But the other type of suffering I experience .... meaningless sorrow whenever I am unoccupied. As long as I am occupied, it is easy to avoid this kind (even if the occupation entails stress, anxiety, etc).

So what I am trying to say is, this sorrow seems much more preferable to angst. I can't explain it.

[Admiral Swagmeister G-Funk]

i think it makes sense and is an existential question.

we try to find meaning in suffering in order to understand and accept/revolt against it. when no meaning can be attached to a feeling of suffering, what can be done?

i don't think there's a clear answer on the matter, whether it came from the buddha, albert camus (his Myth of Sysyphus tackles this question) or whoever else may have tackled the notion of suffering and lack. for lacan, it is an unavoidable loss of the Real through the symbolic order; a persistent lack of something which is beyond the capability of discourse to explain. something "Real". for buddha, all suffering can be overcome through training the mind and body. in a funny way, buddhism makes some similar considerations to lacan. surely "nirvana" is outside of the symbolic order in the way it is understood. can it be achieved though?

in all of my own reading and thinking on the matter, as well as my own personal experience with psychiatry's use of drugs and therapy, i've found nothing. the more that i read on it and know about it, the more depressed i get! in that sense, perhaps lacan is the most correct. too many words.

on the other hand, there is john-stuart mill's statement 'it is better to be socrates unhappy than a pig satisfied.' - whether that is true or not, i am unsure. pigs seem to be fine enough rolling around in filth.

this is the most unhelpful answer probably but i share your pain and have struggled with this whole thing since i was able to put words around it.

[Decolonize The Left]

I hate to compare suffering but..

Currently, there is work-related stress. Even though at times it drives me mad, I welcome it because it seems nothing compared to existential angst. At least this suffering (mundane, work-related) makes sense - it is logical. There is a cause and effect.

But the other type of suffering I experience .... meaningless sorrow whenever I am unoccupied. As long as I am occupied, it is easy to avoid this kind (even if the occupation entails stress, anxiety, etc).

So what I am trying to say is, this sorrow seems much more preferable to angst. I can't explain it.

Seems like you are experiencing a confrontation with meaninglessness. At work you experience being disassociated with your labor. In existential angst you experience being disassociated from a grand narrative. As to your meaningless sorrow whenever you are unoccupied, that's pretty standard for depression.

I suggest you occupy yourself with walking in natural areas and/or around town. Walking is a healthy mental and physical activity. If you can't do this, practice meditation. This will help you confront your unoccupied time with a clearer head.

What you are experiencing seems very common and could be characterized as the modern human condition. In the end, it is up to us to write our own narrative out of this abyss.