I don't think it's about "minimizing suffering". There is things to suffer for, and there are things which you shouldn.t
I like to prefix my questions with "When should"
Therefore:
> When should I suffer?
and
> When should I not suffer?
I built a platform where I record questions I ask myself
Here is for the keyword "suffering"
But I think your point still stands. There are plenty of reasons to purposefully subject yourself to pain (e.g. exercise).
I'm not sure about suffering. Suffering is an unavoidable side-effect of love and other delights of life, but it doesn't seem like something to ever be sought after. I'll need to think on that some more.
Also, your "when should" trick is clever! Good strategy for keeping things concrete.
It's not a side-effect. It's an intrinsic part.
This is expressed in ancient philosophy like Taoism and embedded in its symbol , but since you poo poo philosophy, give a listen to some old pop music: The Rose by Amanda McBroom and sung by Bette Midler, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxSTzSEiZ2c