In Kafka's novel The Trial,

a man named Joseph K
wakes up one morning

and learns that he is accused
of a crime he doesn't understand
by a court he can't communicate with.

He navigates a maze of bureaucrats,
messengers, henchmen, and various authorities,
trying to understand
what exactly he's "guilty" of
and why he's accused . . .

but never can
seem to get
any straight answers . . .

. . . sounds a little too close to home, if you ask me.

After all, if you ask the question
"Why do we suffer?" nowadays,

if you ask a television or advertising executive,
    they'll probably say it's because you haven't bought their car, clothes,
    soft drink, long-distance service, food, pills, or whatever crap they're selling . . .
if you ask a psychiatrist, they'll probably say
    that you have "flawed brain chemistry" and need their pill
if you ask a fitness expert or health nut, they might say
    it's because you're on the wrong diet
if you ask a stress management expert, they'll say
    it's because you're stressed
if you ask a Marxist, they'll probably say
    it's because you're being oppressed and exploited
if you ask a psychologist, they might say that
    you have unresolved childhood traumas and need therapy
if you ask a friend and he's a guy, he might well say that
    you're not getting enough sex
if you ask a friend and she's a girl, she might well say that
    you're not getting enough love
if you ask a minister or priest, they might say
    "sin," lack of "faith," or a wrong relationship with "God"
if you ask a moralist, they'll probably say
    it's because you're immoral
if you ask a fundamentalist, they might say
    it's Adam's fault - or, if Muslim, that you're an "infidel"
if you ask a Buddhist, they might say
    it's the human condition, or it's karma, and you need more lifetimes
if you ask a New-Ager, they'll say that
    you're creating your own suffering, somehow, for some reason
if you ask a different spiritual type, they might say
    it's because of your ego
if you ask an existentialist, they'll say
    it's part of the human condition, and you're just screwed (but free to be screwed)
if you ask a friend, they might say
    they don't know, or make something up, or give you a hug

and so on . . .

- and if you ask a LiveReal Editor?

Well . . . we'd say that it's a pretty complicated issue,
and people are in all kinds of different situations,
and while there are plenty, plenty of easy answers all around,
we haven't yet found any easy answers that are actually true.

. . . but at the same time,
we're hard at work on the case.

And we think in general, it's a good idea
to understand as much as we can about stress, and sex,
and protecting our minds, and morality and ego, and plain old happiness,
and to really explore, as much as we can,
huge, immense things like "love," "God", and why we're here, and things like that.

. . . and hang out with other people who are doing the same . . .

so stay tuned . . .

Talk about it.
info@LiveReal.com