>l Suffering of the lack of daily necessities --- food, clothing, shelter, etc.
l Suffering from the nature --- floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, storms, as well as freezing or hot weather, volcanoes and blizzards.
l Suffering from mental agony --- worry, sorrow, fear, anguish, jealousy, etc.
l Suffering of being treated unfairly by law, regulation, standard or by other people.
Everyone in this world is and must be suffering. You can find this opinion in The Imitation of Christ: "Wherever you are, wherever you go, you are miserable unless you turn to God. So why be dismayed when things do not happen as you wish and desire? Is there anyone who has anything as he wishes? No--- neither I, nor you, nor any man on earth. There is no one in the world, be he Pope or king, who dosen't suffer trial or anguish."(Chapter 22: Thoughts on the Misery of Man). But why all of us must be suffering? The reason is the original sin and crimes that people commit. And only through suffering can one get merit and learn experience.
However, suffering doesn’t prove that God is cruel. “He is good; his love endures for ever”(2 Chronicles,5:13) God makes people suffer not because He wants to see misfortune. Instead, suffering is God charity. We have stated before that sin is terrible. In fact, sufferings are brought about by sins, not God. Sufferings are to prove sin’s evil nature, make people realize it and avoid committing sins. So suffering is just a means by God to educate people. It means that God doesn’t give up anybody, even the sinner. God makes sinners suffer to impress them deeply and also warn others the blackness of sins. Therefore, the purpose of suffering is to save the sinners. “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.”(Job 5:17-18)
Hester Prynne suffers not only because of mankind's original sin, but also, and more decided by her adultery with Dimmesdale. Adultery is an offense towards God so she must be punished severely. In fact, Hester's life is full of misery after the exposure of her crime. The first time Hester Prynne walks out of the prison with her baby, she is punished to be set in the market-place where "stern-browed men" and "unkindly-visaged women" and "a crowd of eager and curious schoolboys" may "have a fair sight of her brave apparel." This kind of public exposure isn't co
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