Without the concept of Dukkha (usually translated as suffering but closer to unsatisfactoriness, stress, pain or difficulty) the Four Noble Truths goes nowhere. Dukkha is a universal experience. No matter what our situation is, we never have each and every condition exactly as we wish. When we get to know our Dukkha, really look at it, uncover it, investigate and get curious about it, our relationship to the difficulty in our life changes.

However, most of us are not willing to look at the hard things so we ignore, bypass or run from them. This response only exacerbates the challenges any difficult situation brings. The shortest way is through.