Suffering may feel like the end of all ends or it may feel like your heart wants to break. Ultimately our hearts don't break or completely tear away from our bodies. We can use suffering as a learning tool and as a tool to strengthen who we are in life. I will discuss how my suffering has allowed me to thrive in life and move forward without faltering. I will also discuss how I believe God and religion play a role in the role of suffering. Finally, I will discuss how forgiving your arch-enemy can be more beneficial than drowning in revenge. In summary, suffering is natural in life, but every person in the world can thrive or sink into despair, but the benefits of using suffering to grow in this world are more rewarding than drowning. Suffering It takes a tremendous amount of willpower to allow yourself to put aside pain and suffering. I am always amazed by people who can easily forgive when they have been wronged. I think learning to give the gift of forgiveness can mature and alter a person's life in many areas. I believe that the willpower to forgive disables the force that one's adversity has on one. Once you can overcome hatred, sorrow and pain, you open your soul for spiritual directions in areas you were not aware existed before. This allows you to become a better person when you can give a precious gift that your enemy never expected. Frankl wrote that “The way a man accepts his destiny and all that suffering involved in the way he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity, even in the most difficult circumstances, to add deeper meaning to his life (CITE) . Frankl understood that suffering doesn't always have to be bad, but it is bad in how we absorb it and use it to strengthen ourselves. Sometimes that gift of forgiveness can change the path your enemy was following in life. Give them a gift of forgiveness that allows them to have a role model to follow. In the end, forgiveness can be powerful in altering the lives of both the person who did the wrong and the person who did the wrong