SUFFERING / NO.17 / 7th MARCH 2024

Suffering?

    Dear readers, the other day I requested suggestions on what people would like to read in my next blogs in an Instagram story that I uploaded. I'll be writing about the subjects that each person suggested for the next few days. Again its Benny's (Deego Benwick) suggestion today.

                                    

    Everybody's life will inevitably involve suffering. Because we are human, we have become accustomed to it. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" addresses a distinct facet of suffering. He talks about how people are apathetic toward suffering rather than talking about the sufferer. Suffering and joy are present in the same place. The celebration of birth and the mourning of death all at once. We carry on with our own works while the person next to us is suffering. That is how indifferent we are.

    While scrolling my feed at random the other day, I stumbled upon the hashtag #justiceforaarthi. I was curious, so I looked into the specifics. At that point, the news article read,

    This Puducherry-born young child was found dead after going missing for a few days and being sexually assaulted. These rape cases have exhausted me. We've lost all sense of empathy, and unfortunately, we've grown accustomed to hearing awful news every day. We no longer find this surprising. Nothing else is altered other than the name in the hashtag. It's Aarthi today, but it could be someone else tomorrow.

    We've all just read about it, but have you ever considered the potential impact on the young girl's family? Imagine how delighted they would have been at her birth. Everything broke apart, including her father's dreams and her mother's love. The little girl's anguish, who must have been innocent and unaware of what was happening to her. I'm at a loss for words.

I came across a very true post on Instagram.

    A man will never fully comprehend what it means to be a girl. When a woman ventures outside of her comfort zone and explores the outside world, she poses several questions to herself. Many people don't even recognize that they are mistreating other women; they only react when something bad happens to their family members. At times, they may not even be aware that their actions are incorrect. That's the depressing aspect.

    We women, don't say it out, but we are all suffering in some manner. The awkward looks these men give us while traveling, the unnecessary comments they make, the way they laugh together and make inside jokes (there's more, but I won't go into that). Everything simply shatter our innermost essence, causing us to crumble within. And here we are all geared up to celebrate women's day tomorrow:)

Dear men, just know that we suffer everyday even if we don't express it.

Just the girl next door, hoping that the world will turn into a better place.
S. Jennifer Sandra