Unable to see there’s suffering in this world? You must not get out much.

To understand suffering—and why we don’t want it—we absolutely have to understand who we are (and why we are who we are).

The Vedas describe us as spirit souls, servants of Krishna (jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krishnera ‘nitya dasa’).

Krishna is described as the Absolute Truth (para tattva), the ultimate source of all energies (shaktiman), and the reservoir of all pleasure (ananda matre). He is the all in all, and He’s the Supreme Enjoyer.

All living entities are expansions, parts, tiny samples of Krishna. Krishna expands into infinite personalities with whom He can enjoy an unlimited variety of blissful eternal relationships.

All Krishna’s expansions share the same quality: naturally pleasure-seeking (anandamayo ‘bhyasat). We’re all supposed to enjoy our existence together.

But if, somewhere along the line, a living being chooses to turn away (bahir mukha) from who he really is, he’s given full opportunity to indulge his fantasies—somewhere else.

The “somewhere else” is the material world—where we are now.

Here, instead of serving of the Supreme Spirit, he wants to serve his senses. Instead of being himself, he thinks he is his body (aham mameti)

Instead of experiencing the infinitely satisfying varieties of the Absolute Truth, he gets just enough illusions to make him think everything will turn out OK.

Instead of an eternal life of blissful knowledge, he gets a limited, fearful encagement within a dwindling machine—a body—meant for feeling pain.

This is what has happened to us—we’ve given up our very nature. This is how our suffering begins, and it just expands from there.