Three Approaches to the Mystery of Suffering: Frankl, Gray and Kushner

Abstract

Many books and articles are written about suffering and the meaning of suffering. Some authors publish their story to alleviate their own pain, while others do so to help people cope with particular problems. Some look for answers to the universal question, ‘‘Is there some meaning in suffering?’’ Suffering is very personal. It can be real or imagined. No two people suffer in the same degree from the same event. Situations that cause suffering may be the result of particular circumstances of a consequence of something we do to ourselves. Often, however, they are unexplainable. Why bad things happen to good people is a question all of us have asked, particularly when misfortune strikes or when we see how many good things happen to bad people. Human existence has always been connected with suffering. Three persons: Viktor Frankl, Martin Gray, and Harold Kushner have coura-