Pain, Suffering, and Inconvenience

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus was famous for saying the following:

“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?”

This argument is known as the Problem of Evil. Was Epicurus correct in arguing this? Does this argument make good logical sense? These are good questions. But to answer these questions, we must first define what we mean by evil. I think that most people would agree that anything that causes them pain, suffering, or inconvenience could be deemed as evil. Just imagine how enjoyable life would be if none of us ever had a moment of pain, suffering, or inconvenience! It would be like heaven on earth. Or would it be?

Upon further thought, maybe pain, suffering, and inconvenience do play an important role in life. Many of us are aware that people who have gone through the most pain, suffering, and inconveniences in life are also the toughest mentally. This is no coincidence — pain produces toughness! Who do you think is tougher? Someone who has been through Navy SEAL training. Or someone who has been through Army Reserve training. The answer is rather obvious, isn’t it?

Pain, suffering, and inconvenience may also have an additional benefit — namely to make us better problem solvers! When I was first diagnosed with having congestive heart failure, I had no idea how to halt or reverse heart disease. But having the diagnosis of congestive heart failure powerfully motivated me to find the answers. And I did not stop until I found them. Here’s what I found regarding halting or reversing heart disease:

First off, you must become a vegetarian — no meat at all! No excuses! Next, your diet must be composed of mostly fresh dark green vegetables. Eating fresh dark green vegetables daily is vital for saving your heart. You must also exercise daily for at least 30 minutes per day. If your heart is weak, this is nature’s way of telling you that you must exercise it. If you have heart disease and are still drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and consuming a lot of salt, my question to you is “Are you serious?”

So you see, the pain, suffering, and inconvenience of being diagnosed with congestive heart failure have made me a better problem solver in the area of heart disease. And whatever other pain, suffering, or inconvenience that I go through will make me a better problem solver in that area as well.

In conclusion, I would like to say that perhaps pain, suffering, and inconvenience may be good things rather than bad things after all, in that they make us tougher and better problem solvers. If this is true, then Epicurus’s Problem of Evil argument fails.

P.S. Though I had given valuable advice on halting or reversing heart disease, if you have heart disease and intend on following my advice, please inform your doctor first. I’m sure that he will whole-heartedly agree with me; but since everyone’s medical condition varies, it’s better to be on the safe side.

The End

An attitude of gratitude is the best attitude to have. So now I’ll take a moment to express my gratitude for something that I’m grateful for. I had recently stumbled upon a short but impactful eBook that gave me a brand new perspective on success.

It was impactful, in that it showed me how to succeed in a very direct and no-nonsense way. The method expressed in this eBook was easy-to-follow and simple in such a way that anyone could do it. I believe that anyone, even the worse person off, if they applied this eBook to their life, will succeed dramatically! Please go to Amazon Kindle Store and search for Mr. Affliction or simply click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/Become-Success-Youre-Dumb-Doorknob-ebook/dp/B09FYKT6FQ/