On suffering . . .

 This blog was inspired by a note in the St. Jerome's Campus Ministry bulletin, written by Sara Mountsteven-Bertling. She writes "  . . . perhaps we need to embrace our own poverty, our own brokenness and welcome our loving God into those spaces of who we are. May each of us be challenged to rethink the truths by which we live." In embracing the truth, much will change. Also in that bulletin is a passage in response to the Beatitudes. I think it is relevant even to those who do not consider themselves religious because it speaks of joy that exists even in the roughest of times. This passage is written below. (Please also see The Book of Awesome and the songs Have a Cuppa Tea, and Good People, by Great Big Sea.)

Suffering has made you more alive

Suffering has forces you out of your complacency, out

Of your inner comfort.

You we have stuffed, satiated, full of tupor.

Your loss has caused you to have a rude awakening.

Your present neediness helps you appreciate the small

joys of life.

You may have noticed how easy it is to find pleasure

With things and people you never really noticed

before:

the colour of the leaves

a greeting from the letter carrier,

a simple handshake,

a colleague's smile,

the sound of certain footsteps,

the intensity of a child's game,

ice glistening in the sun, clouds drifting across a blue

sky,

a summer rainfall.

spontaneous prayers,

love songs with their happy,

and sad, endings.

Suffering can sharpen your senses, open your heart,

Help you see life in a new light. "Blessed are the pure

In heart, for they will see God."

 - How to Befriend your Shadow, John Monbourquette

I have found suffering to be a key concept in the Beyond Borders program, through the required readings, the discussions and our collective actions to end ease it.  First term, we were exposed to readings - particularly Pathologies of Power, by Paul Farmer, and The Ones Who Walk Away from the Omelas, by Ursula le Guin - that taught many dimensions and realities of suffering whereas this term seems to be about taking some action against it. As a class so far this term, we've been focusing more on liberation as an action to ease the suffering in our own community thought the reading Building Relationships Where People are Real, by Ken Westhues, and through our volunteer experiences.

Pathologies of Power captures the reader's attention by describing the stories of specific individuals in the developing world. One, a man, is physically beaten and left without a care whereas the other, a woman, is so desperate for security she gives herself to an authority figure who leaves her HIV positive and unable to care for their child. Through the reading, it becomes apparent that both of these very physical forms of suffering are symptoms of structural violence - a culture that encourages the mindset of superiority of the rich oppression of the vulnerable in society. It is important to note that this book was published less than ten years ago, meaning that the issues are relevant to today and, I believe, people of all societies. For example, if someone in our neightbourhood found himself or herself without an income, how could they find the money for decent food to sustain him or herself for work, a respectable interview outfit or change for the bus? Even with government help, life would be much more difficult than what I would like to consider "normal."  The pain is almost unimaginable for me, a fortunate, supported and openly loved individual. It must be more than 100x the sting of the worst muscle burn (and of an intensity more like the sting of a stab in the back). The suffering like an emptiness of heart, mind and soul dominating that of a churning stomache.

What desperate measures would you turn to when faces with dire situations? Who would you become?

It is difficult to be sure what we any of us might turn into when faced with the challenges or power of similar situations. Because physical and emotional suffering are so intertwined, neither has an easy fix and so we must remember how human every person is.

Having learned more about realities and harshness of life through class readings, discussions and worldly events, I feel I can relate to a character in the reading The Ones Who Walk Away from the Omelas. This short storey is about a town that is kept blissful thanks to a lonely being who suffers for everyone else. Once people learn about this being, they choose to continue to live with it or flee the town and what it stands for. For some, this can be taken as accepting and being thankful for the lonely sufferer who, through its suffering, allows others for be joyful. Others may react by walking away form the oppressive nature of the Omelas. I am not sure how I feel because, as mentioned in the verses above, sometimes we need suffering to recognize the joy although it is wrong to induce the suffering of others. Although I am not sure what the best answer would be - or even that there is a best answer - I would take an action of some sort because that is what I do. I feel better in action than passively accepting, which is perhaps the reason I was drawn to Beyond Borders.

This term at the working centre is sure to propel our class into action to understand suffering a little bit more and to ease is by redirecting attention. You see, there are some people there who would be considered "disadvantaged" but who have wonderful, wonderful abilities. The aim is to focus and share those abilities with the community so we call can have a part together. One of the themes of our class' first reading of the term, Building relationships where people are real, by Ken Westhues, is reciprocity. Westhues describes reciprocity as a relationship between people wherein they genuinely listen a talk so that conversation flows and ideas are shared. My connection to suffering comes here: with reciprocity, with the true communication that it entails, oppression is demolished. New genuine relationships are formed, skills are appreciated and the little joys are noticed. For proof, consider any one, true, conversation. Advantaged or disabled, young or old, we all have much to offer each other . . . including the ability to sooth a wound or fill a spirit.

Personally, I feel that having the realities of life in desperate conditions, together with feeling my own hardships and those of the loved ones in my life, has indeed sharpened my senses and opened my heart. My response to what I have learned is not to save the world - instead, it is to appreciate the treasures of simple pleasures. Maybe that will be contagious.