Suffering is an intrinsic part of the human condition. The matter of how much pain is experienced is in direct proportion to the awards offered after that pain. Perhaps it is a delusion created by humanity to justify suffering and continue on with life, but even delusions are real to those who experience them. It stands to reason that those with the most wealth and happiness have the mos to lose. In both the story of Job and the story of Gilgamesh, both of the protagonists are "superior" examples of humanity. Gilgamesh is, in fact, nearly a god, and Job is the most devout follower of God himself. Both men also eventually lose those possessions eventually, and both have their desires recognized as a result of their suffering.
However, Gilgamesh undergoes his suffering as the result of punishment. He, and his friend Enkidu, scorn several of the gods, and as a result, they are forced to face their mortality. Job does not undergo suffering as a result of punishment, but rather a test. Suffering is a way to test faith, hope, and values, to separate the genuine, strong individuals from those who will only spew words and fail to follow through. Suffering, as a part of the human condition, can be believed to exist so as to keep us human. Reactions in the face of pain, a complete loss of property, unexpected deaths, and more trials serve to define the character of humans. It is only when Gilgamesh is faced with the despair of his mortality, after the death of his friend, that he goes on the journey that ends in him realizing his greatest hope: to be remembered. Job faces loss after loss, and upon discarding his faith, he is chastised, and as a result, he is repentant of his actions. Following his repentance, all of his possessions and acquaintances are returned to him, and he is given more in abundance. Suffering is an excuse for what we, as humans, consider unfair in the world. Somewhere in our minds, we believe that the world will balance itself out, so the term suffering is used to relate the fact that it is but temporary, and that all that is endured will be rewarded.
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI really like your approach to the idea of suffering and how it (obviously) ties in with these two stories. I really find it intriguing of how you seem to identify suffering as a means of pity almost, or it's what humans use to pity themselves during times of testing or hardship and begin to believe that rewards will come when it ends. I find it also interesting (sorry, I'm going slightly out of order) at how suffering could be a delusion of the human mind, I respect that you express even delusions are real to those who experience them, as it is a hard concept to understand if not experiences, especially in a psychological fashion. I had never really thought of the idea, yet as blatant as it was, of how both (as you say) Gilgamesh and Job are of a higher ranking, per-se, in society. Part of that just left my mind and I commend you for pointing it out and making note, as well as discussing it. I must say you did an overall, brilliant job on this post, as I really enjoyed reading it. It's always wonderful to see all the different points of views. Great job!
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you concisely presented the concepts of suffering in Job and Gilgamesh and tied them into a universal idea of what it is to suffer. I think its interesting that you made the distinction between the fact that Job's suffering was the result of a test, while Gilgamesh's suffering was caused by the gods punishing him. I also liked your statement that suffering can be what keeps us human. It reminded me of our discussion in class regarding the fact that because of the struggles he had endured, Enkidu was more human even than Gilgamesh.
Great job, thanks for sharing!
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteHow do you think resilience fits into this idea of suffering that you've laid out. I think that suffering is overcome through practicing resilience. Resilience is simply the ability to bounce forward from hardship. How well can you recover from the death of a family member? Can you grow as a person? If you can, then you are resilient.
I think that you're idea on suffering is very interesting. It does seem like an idea that humans have created to rationalize the bad things and find a sense of equality in the things that we do. I like the idea that suffering is proportional to the pleasure that comes from that event but I'm not sure it's realistic. To have that idea I think you must belief in heaven. You must believe that if you suffer during death you must have something great happen in the afterlife.
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