The key to alleviating existential pain is to reduce my distances (read: The distances).
Distances are imagined differences between conceptual and perceptual forms I desire. Every distance separates at least two points that can exist perceptually or conceptually. For example, I believe I am a certain weight now; I desire to be a different weight. The distance is the difference between those two.
Pain arises from not having or being something I want. The value I associate with that distance amplifies the pain I feel. For example, if I weigh 180 pounds, but I would like to be 155 pounds, the value I place on that 25-pound difference directly corresponds to the pain and suffering I endure as a result of this difference.
There are several parts to this:
- My belief that I am or I have one thing.
- My desire to be or to have another.
- My value of that thing I desire to have or to be.
Belief, desire, and value coalesce to create all my pain and suffering. It is a tricky triad and it is difficult to decide where to attack. Do I change my beliefs? Do I confront and overcome my desires? Do I de-value the thing I desire? But they all work together, and it is challenging to undermine one without accidentally empowering another. The key to pain relief is in confronting and supplanting my beliefs. To do that, I must understand the release-relief dichotomy.
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