“Defeat or victory...determined by the response.”- Amitav Ghosh
The horrific images of suffering that we see from around the world have raised what seems like an insurmountable mountain of questions about pain. Pain and suffering are not merely headlines from half way across the globe; yes, it does strike close to home as well. It is evident in the heart-rending cry of an abandoned child in Orissa, India, as is plain in the worried expression on a parent's face in California, USA.
Writers from bygone eras were moved to the point of penning lines that subsequent generations have delved into, to look for analogous sentiment. When hurled into the fray as it were, what is our response? Do we mull over the course of our very existence? “To be, or not to be:” (Hamlet Act 3 Scene i). Is that our question? Are we to valiantly endure the pain that so grips us? Are we vested with the power to end all the seeming meaninglessness?
Invariably, the recipient of every derisive accusation and every scathing criticism is God.We are all too quick to find a target in God. “As flies to wanton boys are we to th' gods” (King Lear Act 4, scene i ). Does He torment us for sport? Do we rant and rave against God?
There is indeed no dearth of questions; sadly answers elude us. When answers are hard to find, we are often tempted to clothe suffering with a rationale. To the one in pain, we are but Job’s friends, at best we find a use for suffering and at worst we denounce and criticize the one who walks the very ‘valley of the shadow of death.’
Answers are indeed hard to come by; And when every raison d'être falls short, focusing on eternal realities bolsters our flagging spirits. Eternal realities like God’s love in our creation, our salvation and sustenance does indeed obscure from view the transience of pain. And in that response our victory is won.
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2 comments:
you are much much into plays and musicals? vibrating between extreme wavelengths of writing styles.. loved it
btw who writes? akka or anna?
Hey Prason, This is Brainerd. So nice to meet you through our blog! Thank you for your comments. To answer your questions, yes, we both are into plays and musicals though Esther is a lot more into classical literature. We both write in the blog (when one of us writes, the other edits). We did visit your blog too (Preetha gave us the link) and read some of your posts. We appreciate your comments.
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