deep-learning exercise on suffering

Semester Assignment: Theology 1300/3300

Suffering and the Possibility of Human Fulfillment

Prof. Randall Smith, University of St. Thomas

“Suffering” is something that shows up in every life, it seems, no matter how careful one is or how well one lives one’s life, whether the suffering is physical pain or psychological disappointment, frustration, sorrow, or depression. Suffering is something we all must deal with. The question is, How? Should we just “grit our teeth and bear it?” Or should we perhaps go on a television talk show and pour out our troubles to a large audience of viewers? Those are two common approaches in our society. But are either of them effective? In order to answer that last question, we would of course need to know what it means for someone — and in this case, let that person be you, since you can’t deal with someone else’s suffering, nor can you really pawn your suffering off on someone else (as much as we often try) — to deal “effectively” with suffering.

In order to get at the question of how someone might deal effectively with suffering, I suggest we need to know a bit more about the nature of suffering, especially its causes and its sources. Do we create our own suffering? Or is suffering something that happens to us? Or is it a combination of both? What are the factors that make suffering worse? What sorts of things make it more tolerable? And finally, is suffering always bad? Or can it be a source of strength and greater meaning? If so, how? By the end of the semester, students should be able to articulate reasonable answers to these questions.

Our goal is for each student to be able to write a thoughtful essay (roughly 5 pages double-spaced) laying out his or her philosophy of suffering and how their experiences of suffering might have been different if approached differently. The fundamental question is, Do you think you have the cognitive resources and emotional skills to deal effectively with suffering going into the future? And if so, what leads you to think that you do? And if you conclude, upon reflection, that you do not have the necessary resources to deal with suffering, what would you have to change or what might you do in order for you to develop them?

There are several different parts of this assignment that must be completed during the course of the semester. Warning: They cannot be completed all at once or on the last day before finals. Failure to complete the different parts of the assignment by the announced deadlines will result in failure for the assignment, which will, all told, constitute 20% of your final grade.

Part 1:

Jot down what you think causes suffering and how you think suffering is best dealt with. Bring this written reflection into class prepared to discuss it in your small groups. Then turn the written copy into me. (No more than 1 page, double-spaced. 5 points possible)

Part 2:

Please note that you are not going to be asked to “share” some horrible event that scarred you deeply in your dark past. That is for your analyst, not for a class full of strangers. The poet T. S. Eliot has written that, in our own experiences of suffering, the problem is often “We had the experience but missed the meaning.” The truth is, says Eliot, that we often appreciate better “the agony of others, nearly experienced,” than our own.

For our own past is covered by the currents of action,

But the torment of others remains an experience

Unqualified, unworn by subsequent attrition.

People change, and smile: but the agony abides.

In Part 2 of this assignment, you will interview someone else about his or her experience of suffering. The suffering can be either physical, emotional, or spiritual. The person you interview should preferably be over 50 years of age.

After the interview, you will produce a double-entry journal based on the interview. On the left-hand side of the journal, please describe as factually as possible “what happened”: the facts of the case. On the right-hand side of the journal, please include your commentary on what you heard. At the bottom, please summarize what you take to be this person’s “philosophy of suffering.” (You may of course ask the person directly whether he or she has a certain “philosophy” or “approach” to suffering. If he or she cannot answer that question, however, you will have to sum up what you take to be the person’s approach to suffering yourself.) In the final part of this reflection, I will ask you to compare and contrast this person’s approach to suffering to your own. Did you learn something that you did not know about suffering from talking to this person? If so, what? Would you re-write your statement for Part 1 of this assignment differently? (This need not be more than 3-5 double-spaced pages, but much will depend upon what you get from the person you interview. 10 points possible)

Part 3:

Now we are going to do some reading. We will be reading and reflecting on the following texts (two from the ancient Greek world; one from the Old Testament):

* Epictetus, Enchiridion (5 points possible)

* Epicurus, Principal Doctrines (5 points possible)

* The Book of Job (5 points possible)

For each text, the student will be asked to prepare a short written reflection on the following questions:

* What are the author’s main points? In particular, what view of suffering does the author seem to hold?

* Was there anything surprising to you in the text?

* What did you find confusing? (No more than 1 double-spaced page for these first three.)

* Did you feel that the author had an adequate response to the question of suffering? Is anything missing? If so, what? (No more than 1 double-spaced page for the fourth question; thus, no more than 2 pages for each reading.)

Part 4:

Another interesting reflection on the nature and causes of suffering can be found in C. S. Lewis’s book The Problem of Pain. Students will be asked to submit an analytical outline of several chapters from this book. This part of the assignment will be judged on how well the student can express Lewis’s basic points in his or her own words. Part 4 need not be done sequentially after the other parts of this assignment, but it will need to be completed by the deadline listed in the syllabus. (No more than 1 page per chapter. 10 points possible)

Part 5:

Above, I had you do some reading from two ancient Greek philosophers and from the Old Testament Book of Job. Now I want us to add something from a Christian author — in this case, someone from the Eastern Orthodox tradition — one that also deals with an event that happened more recently: namely, with the destructive tsunami that devastated coastal areas around the Indian Ocean in 2004. As in Part 3, the student will be asked to prepare a short written reflection on the following questions:

* What are the author’s main points? In particular, what view of suffering does the author seem to hold?

* Was there anything surprising to you in the text?

* What did you find confusing? (No more than 1 double-spaced page for these first three.)

Part 6:

Finally, students will bring all of this material together in a reflective essay (roughly 5 pages double-spaced). Students will look back at their original “philosophy of suffering” and ask whether, based upon their reading and reflection, their attitudes toward suffering have changed, and if so, how. Students will be asked to consider how their experiences of suffering might have been different if approached differently. At the end of this essay, students will be asked to reflect on this fundamental question: Do you think you have the cognitive resources and emotional skills to deal effectively with suffering going into the future? And if so, what leads you to think that you do? And if you conclude, upon reflection, that you do not have the necessary resources to deal with suffering, what would you have to change or what might you do in order for you to develop them? (50 points possible)

Assignment Overview: (100 total points possible)

Part 1 = 5 points possible (for a nice, clear, concise statement of your “philosophy of suffering”)

Part 2 = 10 points possible (for a well-written description of the interview and a meaningful commentary on it)

Part 3 = 25 points possible; 5 for each of the first 3 readings and 10 for David Bentley Hart’s book (for a well-written, faithful description of the author’s main points and a meaningful commentary on them)

Part 4 = 10 points possible (for a well-written, faithful outline of the author’s main points)

Part 5 = 50 points possible (for a thoughtful, well-written essay showing that the author has reflected deeply on his or her philosophy of suffering in light of the semester’s readings and reflections)

Please note that it is not necessary for you to agree or to disagree with any particular reading (or with me or with the Catholic Church). It is only necessary for you to show that you have allowed the readings to challenge you. Another way of putting the same would be to say that it is necessary for you to show that you have allowed yourself to be questioned deeply about the problem of suffering. Thus, if you start the semester with the philosophy: “Shit happens, and then you die; deal with it” (which you may do if you wish), that’s one thing. But if you get to the end of the semester and can say no more than “Shit happens, and then you die; deal with it” without being able to discuss intelligently what “shit” is, why “shit” happens, and what “deal with it” means, and why your particular sort of “dealing with it” is more effective in the long run than, say, drinking a fifth of vodka any time trouble comes along, then you’re in trouble. Again, you may hold and defend any view you think appropriate, but this assignment isn’t merely about “expressing your feelings.” You will need to show (in writing) that you have formulated a thoughtful response to one of life’s most serious questions.

All submissions must be typed on plain white paper, double-spaced, standard 12-point font, with one-inch margins. All citations must be in accord with the Chicago Manual of Style (humanities style). For those unaccustomed to the guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style, an easy reference can be found at: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html.