ABSTRACT
Respondents define and express suffering uniquely as well as with commonalities that span the sample. An essential method of coping is to form a plausible answer to the why of suffering. To ask this fundamental question is not to know the precise root of suffering, although this might be the case, as much as it is an attempt to understand the place of suffering in one's life. Suffering that results from causes such as guilt, regret, shame, or an inability to forgive someone or perceive oneself as forgiven is especially painful because elders may see no point to this suffering. Mr. Danders differentiated the experience of suffering from incidents of depression and sadness. Mr. Danders, along with many respondents, spoke of the prison-like nature of suffering. Mr. O'Hanlon suffering teaches him that where life's major issues are concerned, such as life and death, he holds "no control."
