Why is there suffering? To help you learn compassion. Have you suffered? Of course you have. In a world where humans are given free will, less than optimal choices are made. In a world where most forget they are souls, suffering ensues. Suffering is part and parcel of being human, for the lessons it affords, for the growth of the soul, but peace always lies within.
Draw back the curtain between your human stage and your permanent home, and there you will find all the compassion, the peace, and the ever-lasting love you desire. Why do you desire them? That desire is what pulls you Home, what gives you hope, what helps you to know this suffering is not all there is.