Trying to Write a Book
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Pain and suffering are innate to this existence. No matter what we do we will experience at the very least pain during some time in our lives. What is the purpose of pain and suffering? One possibility is that we experience pain and suffering so that we may learn from it. Now what could we possibly learn from pain and suffering? Hopefully we learn how to prevent the causes of pain and suffering from happening again. One of the definitions of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results despite the outcomes. We truly live in an insane world then.
There is pain and suffering all around us, and we have it in our capacity to prevent it. We have the ability to change the world around us. We have the ability to learn from our mistakes. We experience pain and suffering to let us know that something is wrong or incorrect with the world around us. The next logical step would be to prevent those things from happening again. This is not something we should or can do alone. We are in great numbers for a reason, even though these great numbers can cause conflict. Great and horrible things can both come from conflict.
Conflict usually happens when there is a disagreement. No matter what there will always be conflict unless we eliminate the causes for the disagreement. I believe the source of these disagreements is a difference in perception, which can be caused by many different factors. Time will yield both destruction and growth. When something exists that is not right, there will always be someone who disagrees with it. The cycle exists until the will to fight is gone, until the perception is altered, or until the issue is resolved.
In my opinion, the more someone thinks the more suffering they experience. But what would we be if we did not think? What would our purpose be if we did not think? So we are given thought to add purpose to our lives.
Why must the innocent feel pain and suffering? Once again, to let us and them know that something is wrong so it can be fixed or prevented. This is why we feel compassion and empathy towards others. What happens when we ignore these feelings? Over time our perceptions are altered because of it, or we become numb to things that should bother us. We have to do things to survive in this horrible world. We do things to meet our needs and wants despite how it might affect other beings. This itself creates suffering in an individual sometimes. A guilty conscience can weight immensely on a person's mind. Once again, if these thoughts are ignored for long periods of time, a person becomes numb to them or their perception changes.
I believe more wrong and crime can occur when a person's perception changes or when a person becomes numb to their thoughts. After all, who would want to think when it causes pain and suffering? Often people will seek things to escape from their thoughts, such as mind altering substances, activities, or escaping reality through some other means. Many people use religion as an escape from reality. Perception determines a being's personal reality, but does not change what the reality of things actually are. Just because a person believes that everything is okay or will be okay doesn't change what something actually is or will be.
Passing the responsibilities onto a higher being is not the answer, though it lessens the burden on the being in question.
When a being's wants or needs go unmet, this creates pain and/or suffering too.
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Feel free to provide input on what I have so far.
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are you looking for feedback on what you've said… or links to similar writings?
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Both?
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I wasn't sure if this was for a fiction story, or just something you're working for a project of your own. Please don't take anything I write here as discouraging– as someone who's been writing for almost a decade now (as a full time job) I never get it 'right' on the first draft. But so long as you're pushing forward you'll get there; improvement is incremental but determination and passion are eternal. Parts I think are in error (grammar, etc) are marked in red, my comments are in blue. I'm not an English major, so don't take my word as gospel, this is more my 'feeling' than iron clad rules. I'm not commenting (at all) on the content of the writing itself, only how it's presented and such, sorry, I'm not comfortable doing that. With that said:
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! @My:
! > Pain and suffering are innate to this existence; no matter what we do, we will experienceat the very least painduring some time in our lives. [You've done well to open with a statement, an observation and something of a question; I'm immediately saying to myself 'well, yeah. But what can be done about it?] What is the purpose of pain and suffering? One possibility is that we experience pain and suffering so that we may learn from it. Now what could we possibly learn from pain and suffering? Hopefully we learn how to prevent the causes of pain and suffering from happening again. One of the definitions of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results despite the outcomes. We truly live in an insane world, then. [Okay, I see what you're trying to do here, but you're kind of skipping from thing to thing without making a concrete point– if this is fiction, the character is meandering without making a point, if it's non-fiction (meant to be inspirational) you're starting to really berate the point and you're losing my interest.]Suggestion:
Many have wondered: What is the purpose of pain and suffering? Is it meant to teach us something, is it a punishment or penance we must endure to become a better version of ourselves? If any of these things is the case, are we meant to repeat the same cycles until we 'get it right' never having known what it is we were meant to do in the first place? This would then be followed by the next paragraph in which you would deliver the promise of an explanation of some sort; you ask questions, enough to get your reader interested, and then you deliver the premise or promise of the book/story you're going to tell that reader.There is pain and suffering all around us, and we have it in our capacity to prevent it. [Cool, you're showing potential here: there is hope, there is something to be gained by reading this. . .] We have the ability to change the world around us. We have the ability to learn from our mistakes. We experience pain and suffering to let us know that something is wrong or incorrect with the world around us. The next logical step would be to prevent those things from happening again. This is not something we should or can do alone. We are in great numbers for a reason, even though these great numbers can cause conflict. Great and horrible things can both come from conflict. [Okay, two things. First: You're making tangential points back to back (good) and then you're taking a left turn and going somewhere completely different than what came before it. "We can change things, we can learn, we can share our burdens. Great and terrible things come from conflict." See how they do or don't fit together in this trail of thought? Secondly, you're being really choppy again with your structure: think of like this in terms of pacing, periods break up blocks of action, exposition to quicken the pace of a read or slow it down by spacing them out. Have you been reading this entire line in your head as one thing flowing to another? How about now? Still doing it? I bet not. See what I mean? Variety in structure make your pacing and writing more varied and interesting, allowing you to accent points without breaking up your work.]
Conflict usually happens when there is a disagreement.
No matter what there will always be conflict unless we eliminate the causes for the disagreement.[Considering what a stark and hard disconnect this is from the previous statement, you can probably cut this out and the paragraph will be better for it.] I believe the source of these disagreements is a difference in perception, which can be caused by many different factors:Time will yield both destruction and growth.[Suggestion: I would start explicitly naming some factors, as everything that follows is kind of not in keeping with the premise of the statement. "I think X, therefore A B and C" you give the reader context for your ideas and allow them time to absorb them, nothing that follows the period was in keeping with explaining how perception (or lack of) creates conflict.]When something exists that is not right, there will always be someone who disagrees with it. The cycle exists until the will to fight is gone, until the perception is altered, or until the issue is resolved.In my opinion, the more someone thinks, the more suffering they experience. But what would we be if we did not think? What would our purpose be if we did not think? So we are given thought to add purpose to our lives. [You're getting better about following through a line of thought, even if it seems only loosely related to the other points. Also, and this really is one of those 'polish' touches that can be saved until later, but consider how often you use and reuse the same word/words near one another. Pain, suffering, purpose, appear close to one another quite often in your text and can be rather distracting to your points. But again, that can be saved until later, after a couple drafts you do a line by line edit and fix stuff like that. But it's something to keep in mind going forward.]
Why must the innocent feel pain and suffering? Once again, to let us, and them, know that something is wrong so it can be fixed or prevented; [You're following similar thoughts in sequence, a semi-colon is appropriate here] this is why we feel compassion and empathy towards others. What happens when we ignore these feelings? Over time our perceptions are altered because of it, or we become numb to things that should bother us. We have to do things to survive in this horrible world. We do things to meet our needs and wants despite how it might affect other beings. This itself creates suffering in an individual sometimes. A guilty conscience can weight immensely on a person's mind. Once again, if these thoughts are ignored for long periods of time, a person becomes numb to them or their perception changes. _Which would again follow into a promise of explanation or hope of an answer.
I believe more wrong and crime can occur when a person's perception changes or when a person becomes numb to their thoughts. [This could do with a bit of clarification because in the previous paragraph you said that you believe changing perception alleviates conflict and, by extension, suffering: Maybe you can use the bit about cynicism or feeling disconnected from the world as a basis for this statement.] After all, who would want to think when it causes pain and suffering? Often people will seek things to escape from their thoughts, such as mind altering substances, activities, or escaping reality through some other means. Many people use religion as an escape from reality. Perception determines a being's personal reality, but does not change what the reality of things actually are. Just because a person believes that everything is okay or will be okay doesn't change what something actually is or will be. [Okay, again, you're using a lot of disparate elements to try and make a point here. Maybe consider something like: "People use shelters of all sorts to hide from the world and the things in it that scare them: drugs, games, even religion are there to opiate the mind that would question or think itself into suffering through endless cycles of regret and fear at being unable to affect the world."]
Passing the responsibilities onto a higher being is not the answer, though it lessens the burden on the being in question.
When a being's wants or needs go unmet, this creates pain and/or suffering too.
So I hope this wasn't too harsh or anything, I don't know how familiar or comfortable you are with the language and writing to express ideas is actually incredibly difficult, so if I've not done /my/ part in expressing them, feel free to ask any questions. Just keep writing, no matter what you do or how you feel about what you're doing: a blank page can't be edited and polished! Keep at it!_
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Thanks for the time, effort, and input. I really appreciate it. I will have to take a few looks at it all for it to sink in, but I will try to correct myself in the future. Grammar and English have never been my strong point, so I appreciate whatever help I can get. I have so much to say, but don't know how to say it sometimes. Getting other people's perspective on things helps.