Introduction
It is a favourable ground to outlining these views, thoughts on human suffering during this troubled time of the epidemic, yet it is great to be part of this universe with confidence in the goodwill of creating a better world for all. I crave your indulgence of reflecting freely, speaking largely straight from the heart regarding Welfare and Human Suffering, A Necessity in Our Trouble World: A need for Human Dignity owing to a deep sadness of human problems. This article is a reflection precisely as it is formulated. First, with definitions of the themes; Sociology, Welfare and Human Dignity. The article presents some general impressions of the phenomenon called welfare and the unending problems in our society. Secondly, the article presents a brief analysis of human dignity, and finally, it presents a shared view of suffering based on the absence of universal welfare in our present time. It concludes with some considerations on major questions, with a rational call for a peaceful society.
Kaiserstraße, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, 2020.
Kaiserstraße view, outcome of Coronavirus epidemic outbreak. (Photo credit: Author)
The rightful co-existence of human reason can lead to the master peace we all seek, reducing human suffering as the peace we all seek is a hope of reconciliation, which is not an impossible hope.
Sociology and Social Events
Sociology is a living subject of all time, and the study of human social relationships, institutions, and its subject is diverse, ranging from religion to crime, from families, from all races, states, religion, culture and all shared belief system and social stability to radical change in the society. Sociologists help gather and analyse evidence base regarding social life and events, changes, history to develop and enrich our understanding of critical issues in the social process. An epistemological input can be related to Karl Mannheim theory on the sociology of knowledge relating to Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher idea. Sociology helps us shape our thoughts regarding society at large, carefully looking at society as an objective and subjective entity. The fair idea of the difference in nature's inherent is attainable from the historical time from the father of sociology, the French philosopher Auguste Comte who coined the world sociology. Comte analysis of historical stages, the theological/medieval time credited to the work of gods and the mystical/metaphysical period to seek knowledge and know the origin of creation as Comte finally created his period to scientific time. The scientific period had continued to seek knowledge up to this day when knowledge has believed to have caused harm and, at the same time, more good.
Major Rational Questions;
✔ Does human suffering have any unseen purpose that man cannot understand?
✔ Why is nature God had not intervened?
✔ Why is it, for example, that; innocent children, who have done no wrong, must often suffer?
✔ Why is it that those humans believed to be moralists, those who try to do that which is right, those whose sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ according to Christendom, whom we think are morally and ethically upright, must continue to suffer in life?
✔ From observations of the past, who will predict future disasters of the coming race, if it will be better or worse?
✔ Can we live without society?
✔ Why Philosopher?
✔ How often do we use the gift of free will in a rational sense?
✔ Can the next generation be allowed to make decisions that will affect them positively or negatively, or continue to suffer the laws, mistakes made by the past leaders?.
Rational Analysis
Reflecting on rational questions, McClister, in his reflection on the understanding of suffering, note that everyone who has ever lived and whoever will ever live must deal with suffering. It is a universal experience of the human race, either indirectly or directly; we all encounter suffering or pain many times during our brief lives. People die each day from pain, disease, untold suffering, trauma due to so many conditions, like war, infections and sickness of every sort is occurring around the world. Half a million children are orphaned every year due to these artificial and at times natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, other violent storms, drought, blights and insect infestations due to weather, also add to human suffering. Suffering can be tough to handle; it leaves us confused, often, we are always wondering why it had to be. Conditions are growing worse instead of better. War ravages worldwide, with some nations experiencing near-complete destruction of their economy, homes, businesses, properties, including death, injuries to large numbers of people. Why man suffers is undoubtedly not a new question, people have been asking questions in the history of the human race, and the answers to these questions has been so tricky and tentative that it has led to so many people abandoning their beliefs. The world is filled with suffering of every kind; millions of people keep asking questions regarding the terrible suffering that afflicts the universe, and many reflect to know if there is a reason why nature God have not intervened, or does suffering have any unseen purpose that man can understand? However, realising all facts is not a very satisfying answer to suffering in today's world. At times humans consider pain as part of human life, but how realistic are these assumptions.
On the other hand, the answer we all seeks would not necessarily be fantastic and pleasant or perfect. We must learn to accept that most of the world ills are caused by humans or nature, whatever you choose to call it, depending on your faith or belief. Nevertheless, Why is it that seemingly innocent people must suffer? The truth is that any discussion of pain and suffering must necessarily involve life's unpleasant side. Human problems and their solutions are unpleasant because, in any action, there is always a reaction and specific answers to these unpleasant human experiences. If one is sad or mourning, it is usually because something terrible must have happened to him/her, like; death of a loved one, serious illness, loss of property or business. This resulting disorder to individual and then come suffering as many continue to think of a perfect world. However, the envisioned world may result in other kinds of consequences, which may be against the law of nature. Therefore, if humans lived without any pain, it would require either a world in which there was no law or a world where the breaking of established laws was miraculously prevented. Either situation would be quite impossible in terms of human survival. We could not have a world without laws because we all depend upon our day-to-day laws. Nor could we live in a world of constant miracles, for we depend upon laws to consistently produce its designed effects. Even when we break these laws in a new world, this world of constant miracles would only be a world with different laws as there are laws everywhere and for everything. So the problem of suffering would still exist, although in different forms. Then total peace may not exist in the visible world, but peace can be attained to some extent if and only if humans work by that which can bring about the master peace which we all seek.
Thus, we are left to return to our starting point if we could not live without pain in a different kind of society; this still does not answer the question of why those who are genuinely innocent must be subject to the suffering nature or that humans have caused. Why is it, for example, that; little children who have done no wrong must often suffer?. According to Christendom, those believed to be moralists who try hard doing what is right, those whose Jesus Christ has forgiven and washed away their sins by his blood also suffer? Furthermore, why must the faithful believers in Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religious bodies, whom we think are morally and ethically upright, continue to suffer?. From these premises, we can affirm to see if there could be a satisfying answer to the question of untold suffering. There is no use trying to remove harmful effects when the natural causes are ignored. This ideal can serve as one of the elements of change in all physical and spiritual matters; man only addresses the harmful effects to nature or devil but did not understand and cannot explain the true meaning and purpose behind the world's ill. Many free magazines, books, lessons and articles by great scholars have explained and address the true causes of the almost endless harmful effects throughout the world for a satisfying answer or solutions but to no avail. With these observations, who can predict the future? How can the endless world ills get better when the people's welfare and human dignity have been ignored? Can we live without society? No!. In Plato's idea, society is a place where a good life is possible; a good life without dramatic crisis is possible only in and through an ideal society, the State. Society is a naturally constructed institution, and man is essentially a social and 'political animal' created to attain a purpose. The State, therefore, exists for the sake of humans and a good life.
However, in today world, is a good life attainable in the State? To Plato, the aim of a good society is neither freedom nor mainly economic wellbeing for the people. Instead, in a good society, there must be justice. An actual society or State must be conformed to justice and ideal, which exists in the World of 'Forms', the ideal world. The State does not categorically provide the ideal; justice in Plato's idea is an object of knowledge. It is one of the forms where Statesmen, the leaders, must be Philosophers. Relating this idea to the present time, the question of why philosophers?. Every human/leader has an innate philosophical idea freely given by nature to rationalise and portray solutions to world ills, but how often do humans use the gift of free will in a valid form or try to rationalise in bringing lasting peace?. Suffering is still at the highest point because man has not fully allow his natural inbuilt ideas to work with his earthly passion but have only allowed his passion supersedes reason. Due to this, most leaders are leading their State downward and towards self-destruction.
Many have been killed through a journey to a temporary peace in this universe. There are obstacles of temporal peace, either situational or intentionally, and can also be traced back to the ancient period referred to as the dark sagacity trend that led to Socrates's death in ancient times in Athens 399 BC. In trying to lay a firm foundation, Socrates was convicted of corrupting the Athenian youths accused by Athens' leaders, who, at that time, killed Socrates due to their narrow views. As a moral scholar, Socrates agreed to die for philosophy by accepting the hemlock in the year 399 BCE and, at the point of his death, enlighten his best friends who withness his death with courageous words of life that rational leaders do not eat their words because he was a real man of reality. The death of Socrates had provoked Plato in his writings and envisioned an ideal State, a State where everything will be going in line with natural justice, and temporal peace could be attained. A State which was never actualised due to free will, and human suffering continued.
Presently, casualties result from war, crisis from controversies, ambiguities, political policies, misconception, irregular migration on the highest index of time, which is a reflection of the states with many hidden questions on how the next generation be allowed to make decisions that will affect them positively or negatively or continue to suffer the laws and mistakes made by the past generation, specifically the leaders. From these observations, where do we go from here?. A natural call to everyone, created with free will, reflects on critical issues that are subject to reason to see how temporal peace can be attained. Even if total peace cannot be attained on this visible earth, a better world with justice in the individual exists when the lower appetites are subject to governance and reason. Only when the appetites are subject to positive reasons can men do what they ought to do right. positive reasons and actions can only lead to the positive justification of individuals in the State when all the elements of the human soul (concupiscence appetite, irascible appetite, will, intellect) function properly in harmony with the human reason. The rightful co-existence of human reason can lead to the master peace we all seek, reducing human suffering as the peace we all seek is a hope of reconciliation, which is not an impossible hope.
Endnote
Calvert, B. (1987). Slavery in Plato's Republic. The Classical Quarterly, 37(2), 367-372.
Truth Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2021, from http://truthmagazine.com/archives/volume29/GOT029295.html
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Bagnold, R. A. (1933). A further journey through the Libyan Desert. The Geographical Journal, 82(2), 103-126
Bagnold, R. A. (1931). Journeys in the Libyan Desert 1929 and 1930. The Geographical Journal, 78(1), 13-33
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