Based on Buddhist teachings, the root of our suffering is the result of our desires. Because we cannot obtain what we crave, the longing becomes painful. We begin to think of all of the negative reasons for why we can’t be content with what we have. Sometimes, we may even learn to get over our desire, but there still remains an empty feeling of not receiving any closure. Without closure, we are left questioning why things happened and ended up the way they did.

As life begins to progress and we learn more about the world around us, struggling becomes more frequent. We should learn to be in control of our goals, desires, and temptations without letting them get the best of us. Therefore, struggling is a direct result of our desires and Lopez, the author of “A Children in the Woods,” reiterates how “I think how much I have seen disappear in my own life.” In this case, the writer struggles because he experiences a sense of loss. Moments of time and the people around him that he wishes he has, disappears and is no longer within his grasp. He suffers the consequences of reminiscing about the past and the lessons that life is teaching him.

Everyone believes that the lives we live are unfair. Each lesson taught has meaning to it and the things that we experience all happen for a reason. Our desire to find the answers to our questions cut deeper into our wounds. Ignorance can be bliss and there things better left unspoken. Sometimes, we find ourselves questioning: “Why do I suffer?/ What lover ever had so much pleasure?”. The writer wonders why a past lover did the things they did to hurt her when she did nothing but be selfless. If they truly loved us, why did they leave in the end? The longing for someone to return and thousands of thoughts swarming in our minds overwhelm us. We are left without any closure and suffer from the consequences of our overthinking until we learn to limit our desires by being content with what we have.

In life, people will test us to learn more about the type of individual we are. When they push our buttons, they want to test our reaction. What happens when I push the button? The temptations in life spark our interest and we want to gain more knowledge without realizing that the answer can come with a risk.  While curiosity can get to the best of us, “curiosity kills the cat”. Instead of yearning for more answers to satisfy our questions, we should learn to control our desires. 

Lessons are being thrown at us in events that we may not be able to understand. Understanding and accepting that events happen for a reason is an important part of growing as an individual. In order to succeed and grow from the suffering of our desires, we can only learn to control our own thoughts.