Freedom and Suffering: The Worldly Person vs The Monk

Monks, by enduring suffering and not seeking pleasure, retain true freedom, unlike worldly people who become slaves to comfort.

### Dostoevsky's Teaching in /The Brothers Karamazov/: Freedom Through Suffering and Meaning
* 🔒 Dostoevsky argues that true freedom comes from the ability to **endure suffering**.
* 💸 The Worldly Person believes freedom lies in pleasure and comfort, but they become **slaves to anything that offers an escape from suffering**.
* 🧘 The Monk, on the other hand, believes **freedom lies in mastering discomfort** and can **endure suffering without being attached to comforts**.
* 💡 One can only endure suffering when they believe it has meaning. Viktor Frankl wrote, "**suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning**."
* ❓ The question of whether suffering has a **universal meaning** is a personal choice that requires **faith**.
* 👑 The ability to **endure suffering and not be a slave to pleasure** allows one to **retain freedom** and **serve any idea they choose**.
* 🌍 When faced with a tyrant who offers money, power, and comfort, the Monk is more likely to **resist becoming a slave and serve a better world**.
* 📚 The interpretation of Dostoevsky's teaching presented is **subjective and open to different perspectives**.

In /The Brothers Karamazov/, Dostoevsky compares two different types of people: Worldly People and Monks. Worldly People are slaves to pleasure, and because of that, they lose their freedom, meanwhile Monks give up the pursuit of pleasure, and because of that, they keep their freedom. And if that’s true, then why? That’s what I wanna explore in this essay. Let’s start with the idea of freedom. What does it mean, in our case, to have freedom? Freedom is the ability to do what you want to do with your body. It’s the ability to act how you want. It’s the ability to serve any idea you want. And Dostoevsky makes an important point about freedom in his novel: if you can’t endure suffering, then you aren’t free. You’re a slave to whatever will protect you from suffering. And why is that the case?

Let’s take a closer look at The Worldly Person to find out. The Worldly Person believes that freedom lies in pleasure and comfort. So they spend their life acquiring things such as money, status, cars, clothes, romantic partners, good foods, vacations, and so on. They spend their life creating palaces of comfort. But what happens when they’re deprived of their comforts? What happens when they lose their money, their status, and their fancy foods? They start to suffer, and since they have no idea how to suffer, they’ll serve any idea that offers them an escape from their suffering. They’ll serve anyone who promises them comfort and pleasure again. So The Worldly Person isn’t free, because they can’t endure suffering, and because they can’t endure suffering, they’ll be a slave to anything that offers them an escape from it. But how does that compare to the Monk? The Monk believes that freedom lies in our ability to withstand discomfort.

So they spend their life mastering discomfort
and overcoming the need for pleasure. They create mental castles that allow them
to overcome any amount of discomfort, and what happens when they lose their comforts? Their money, status, and fancy foods? Nothing, because they’re not attached to
those things. They’re still able to overcome suffering
and serve their idea, mission, or purpose, and because of that, the Monk is truly free. But what allows the Monk to endure suffering? Obviously, this is the question everyone wants
the answer to: how do I endure my suffering? You can only endure suffering when you believe
it has value. In his book Man’s Search for Meaning,
Viktor Frankl wrote, “[in] some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds
a meaning”. Only when you believe there’s a reason for
suffering, a meaning behind it, a light at the end of the tunnel, will you be able to
endure it.

But you’re probably thinking, What’s the meaning behind the suffering of an innocent child? And the only answer is, “I don’t know.” Is there a meaning? This is a question we’ve been grappling with for thousands of years, and I think it’s pretty clear that we’ll never be able to have proof that there is or isn’t a meaning to suffering. Is there a reason for the suffering of an innocent child? I can’t prove to you that there is, but I also can’t prove to you that there isn’t. So to me, that means it’s a personal choice that you have to make. You have to choose whether or not to have faith. If you have faith that there’s a reason and meaning for suffering, you’ll be able to endure it, even if you don’t know exactly what that reason is, and by being able to endure suffering, you will not be a slave to pleasure and comfort, and by not being a

slave to pleasure and comfort, you’ll retain
your freedom, and by retaining your freedom, you’ll be able to serve any idea you want,
rather than the idea someone else wants you to serve. But if you believe suffering has no meaning,
it makes no sense to endure it, and it makes perfect sense to escape from it through pleasure
and comfort. But if you escape from it, when tragedy eventually strikes, when you lose
the pleasure and comfort you built for yourself, you’ll end up surrendering your freedom
to the first person who can offer you pleasure and comfort, and why wouldn’t you, if suffering
has no meaning? So let me end by asking you this question:
if there ever came a time where we needed someone to fight for a better world, someone
to stand up to the tyrant who has money, power, and force at their disposal, who would you
want on your side: The Worldly Person or The Monk?

Who could resist the trappings of money, power,
pleasure, and comfort that the tyrant provides? Who would be more likely to be his slave and
serve his mission in exchange for his good favours? And if you want to make a better life for
yourself, which personality would you rather be: The Worldly Person or The Monk? So that concludes my exploration of Dostoevsky’s
teaching in /The Brothers Karamazov/. As always, this is just my opinion and understanding
of Dostoevsky’s teaching, not advice. Feel free to use this information however
you like, and if you have a different take on the his words, I’d love to hear your
perspective in the comments. If you liked the video, please consider liking
the video. And if you’re looking for another video
to watch after this one, I recommend watching my video “Dostoevsky - Never Lie to Yourself”.

I’ll put a link to it in the description
below, and in the top right of the screen right now.

Dostoevsky - Don't Become A Slave to Pleasure

Freedom in Thought

Comparing Worldly People and Monks in /The Brothers Karamazov/

Dostoevsky contrasts Worldly People, who are enslaved by pleasure and lose their freedom when faced with suffering, with Monks, who maintain their freedom by renouncing pleasure and embracing suffering.

The author argues that true freedom is the ability to endure suffering without becoming a slave to comfort.

Worldly People seek freedom in pleasure and comfort, but when faced with suffering, they become slaves to anything that offers an escape.

In contrast, Monks believe that freedom comes from being able to withstand discomfort, allowing them to maintain their freedom in the face of adversity.

Monks master discomfort and overcome the need for pleasure to serve their mission, remaining unattached to money and status.

The key to enduring suffering is believing that it has a meaning and a reason, providing a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ultimately, the ability to endure suffering comes down to a personal choice and the faith in the existence of a meaning, allowing one to break free from the pursuit of pleasure and comfort.

The Impact of Pleasure and Comfort on Freedom and Suffering

Choosing pleasure and comfort to avoid suffering can lead to surrendering freedom to others.

The question is posed of who would be the better ally in fighting for a better world: The Worldly Person or The Monk.

This explores the idea of which personality type is more likely to resist the trappings of the tyrant and serve their own mission.

The link to the referenced content will be included in the video description.

It will also be accessible in the top right corner of the screen.