Birth, aging, illness, and death, when viewed objectively, are only natural physiological changes. Our subjective, psychological interpretation converts them into suffering. Psychological reactions often make suffering worse than it need be. We are generally less distressed by illness itself than by the effect we imagine it will have on our future and the future of our loved ones. Unnecessary worrying about such things can only aggravate our suffering. By contrast, a correct understanding of the inevitability of change sets our minds at rest and thus minimizes our psychological suffering. The same is true of aging and death. In other words, subjective interpretation converts natural changes into causes of pain.
Basic Buddhist Concepts