# Suffering's Source

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2025-10-24

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That thing I want which can only be given to me by someone else, but I don’t get?

The pain of rejection isn’t caused by them.

The injury that sidelines me from my exercise routine?

The pain of non-participation isn’t caused by it.

The uncertainty about what is the right decision?

The fear isn’t caused by the choice.

All of them are caused by me.

And me alone.

I am the source of the pain, the fear.

The water flows from the well, bubbling forth from a spring.

I can use it to drown myself.

Or I can use it to wash myself.

I can use it to destroy the seedlings.

Or I can use it to nourish them.

What do I do at the source, with the source?

That will determine the flow of the stream.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/suffering-s-source)*