
Why Do Some Souls Choose Such Difficult Paths?
- On January 12, 2016
- By Laura Scott
- Comments Off on Why Do Some Souls Choose Such Difficult Paths?
Dear Laura,
I’m curious to know, what are your thoughts as a respected healer and mystic on why this life is filled with so much suffering and misery for so many people? Putin’s atrocious war in Ukraine has refugees fleeing genocide, total destruction, … and there are refugees from so many places: Central America, Rwanda, Haiti, Syria, Sudan just to name a few. There are climate crisis refugees in all nations, pandemic losses, equality struggles, and for example addictions.
Why do some souls choose such difficult paths of suffering while others appear to have a much easier time? I’m asking this with the supposition that we make pre-birth agreements and choose our existences. What could be the point of experiencing such horrible things like this?
Best, Chris

Hello Chris,
Thank you for your powerful series of spiritual questions involving the work of the soul.
You are right, there is much suffering and misery taking place at this time. Believe it or not, all of us here right now are souls who chose to be here during this tumultuous time on earth. Why would any souls choose to experience or witness suffering? Because we came to learn and to grow, both individually and collectively. Whether we know it consciously or not.
Let me explain.
Do Souls Choose Their Lives?
Yes, it is true that as souls we choose aspects of our lives, along with specific things like our life themes, paths, regions of the world, nationalities, sex, families of origin, and so much more. Difficult or not.
Some geographic areas have more difficult paths, contrasted with exceptional people and cultures. Pain and hardship aren’t limited to specific places or events though. Souls navigate tremendously difficult things in ways as unique as their own fingerprints. Even souls in the same familial groups can have vastly different experiences, life themes, and perceptions.
I talk about the specifics of this and how it relates to you individually in private readings.
A soul that chose an extra difficult path, in any region of the world, definitely gives us pause to humbly wonder: “Why?”
What we pre-select for ourselves to experience is a soul’s personal decision made from the blissful state of The Other Side—before we incarnated. Choosing a more challenging existence is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it a sign of an inexperienced soul. What we have in common is that we are ALL here as souls to learn and to grow. That’s the short answer.
The long answer is more nuanced.

One person’s individual soul lessons may also be serving to stir your soul lessons—getting some of their proverbial peanut butter onto your soul chocolate. Remember, we are all interconnected energetically. As a soul, you could be working on an issue with many layers and nuances. Pre-arranged opportunities may exist for testing your soul so that if you are presented with the opportunity to go through something similar again, you might choose differently. You may go further and do better or different.
This is something I talk about in detail in private reading sessions, relating how specific present events may be bringing something up from your past lives—so that you can heal now through new understanding. I also explain why navigating this particular thing in any capacity is stirring you up, while also offering suggestions for how to flow more smoothly around or through this event so you feel more prepared.
Do our souls pre-choose our life plans? Why?
Yes, our souls choose our lives and the paths we’re on. Our souls use Life Themes as part of the measuring containers for us to progress. Each of our incarnations will have different types of soul plans and life themes depending on what we are learning about and choosing to work on as souls. We set them up in advance, and often we have main and secondary life themes which will be working 24/7 all the days of our lives. These themes will be like the filters or lens through which we see the world.
As if this weren’t providing enough learning material for us, there’s also the free will of others and their life themes PLUS familial, religious, geographical, environmental, governmental, institutional factors, and energetic laws, all added into our ‘learn and grow pile’!
We each pre-select life themes to work on as pre-designed challenge areas, as well as ‘sweet spots’ this life will hold. I talk about life themes and energetic laws that impact soul work in my Akashic reading work with clients. Life themes may take on an infinite number of scenarios and combinations.
Souls who incarnate into areas of war, drought, famine, oppression, instability, etc, are NOT ONLY working on their own unique soul themes, experiences, and growth, they are also providing their contribution to the collective experience of All as well. Each person’s existence offers a catalyst opportunity for the rest of the world to stretch our thoughts outside of ourselves. To update a famous phrase—no person is an island.

Some examples of soul work and catalyst events
1 • When young elementary students decide to take action against war, climate change, cancer, and more—so they fundraise to bring awareness with bake sales, lemonade stands, walkouts, or by collecting items needed for other young children who are in need, distress or displaced by war.
2 • The retired soldier from another country who drops everything to fly thousands of miles to volunteer and share their knowledge, training ordinary citizens who stayed to fight against Putin’s war of genocide and invasion.
3 • Survivors who can speak out and share their stories.
All of these exemplify soul work and catalyst effects. When we awaken from our own hazy maze focused solely on ourselves to consider the paths and plights of others—we can be called to change and take action. This then creates more catalyst waves rippling out from the epicenter—inspiring others.
Consciousness asks us to remember that we are indeed ‘all our brother’s keepers’… intricately interconnected.
When we see so much suffering in the world, it can lead to having more compassionate hearts for anyone struggling and creating changes for betterment, or finding new appreciation, gratitude, and respect for what we have…(the learning and growing part). Having grace and showing humility for what others have lost is important.
When souls are encountering these difficult paths in survival mode, they are not only doing their immediate soul work, it’s an inadvertent opportunity to inspire the soul work in others as well. No matter how directly or indirectly you are involved… catalyst events have ways of coalescing great acts of generosity, compassion, kindness, change, and an outpouring from humanity…(or not) as tipping points are reached.
Souls who choose to incarnate into these lives are just like you and me — doing their own individual soul work as best they can while helping to indirectly inspire humanity to do some of their own work, too.
How can you help a soul that has chosen a difficult path?
If you are troubled by suffering, your soul is speaking to you to get involved. Please do more however you can to help. Individually, locally, regionally, globally. Pray, listen, mentor, speak up, volunteer, change policy, live more compassionately, donate, commit to viewing the world as the interconnected place it is. Use your purchasing power consciously. When we begin to understand that we are all in it together, we elevate the vibration and healing connection we share.
Is there a reward for souls choosing a more difficult life path?
Yes, in their life review they will have full knowledge that their existence (however unspeakably challenging at the time) will be shown to have mattered not only to their own soul progression, it will also be shown how it helped impact this interconnection we all share. Contributing towards the greater good and shifting consciousness for all on earth—and that is a big contribution. Just because you can’t always see the difference happening, doesn’t mean it isn’t taking place.
Our existential crisis as a species is to unite and evolve, not to devolve.

What can you do when you see someone going through something horrible?
Ask — how can I help? What can I learn from this? How can I grow from this? Can you pray, offer aid, donate, listen, volunteer? We each can use our power for good. In Putin’s war, Ukrainians have shown us how technology, social media, and their bright soul light can unite the world…in a heartbeat. Where will our power of unity go next and what can we create with it? It’s up to us to have this senseless war mean something and become a catalyst for more positive changes and unity.
With climate change, a pandemic, disease, disasters, inequalities, many souls are going through challenging, painful circumstances — yet still, as impossible as it seems— their inner lights shine with faith, hope, courage, humility, optimism, Grace, resilience…and they carry on… sometimes even managing to somehow smile… As humans, we all need the same things:
- to feel safe
- to know our loved ones are safe
- to feel loved
- to breathe clean air
- have access to clean water, food, and shelter
It is up to us, we’re all in this together
In the time it took me to write this, someone exhausted, thirsty/hungry, cold/hot, scared, walked/swam/fled bravely across a border with a baby on their back, a small child’s hand held tightly in theirs, a beloved pet clutched to their chest, and all their worldly possessions held in a tattered plastic bag… It’s up to us to unite and see ourselves in each of these events. There, but for the Grace of God, go you or I. On an interconnected planet, we are interconnected souls…all in this together.
~ Namaste.