"Gaze of Pain" from the UCLA Library
Relationship of Suffering to Mental States and Perfection
The topic of "Suffering" relates very well to the team topic of "Mental States and Perfection." Suffering, especially in the context from which I examine it, is a topic that resides in the mental constructs of individuals. Since I explored suffering not from a more physical, scientific approach but, rather, from a philosophical perspective, my topic is an issue not of the physiological implications of suffering but of the philosophical implications of suffering.
By examining suffering from the perspective of philosophy, how individual philosophies view suffering, and how philosophies transition from a view of suffering to providing a paradigm for action in the face of suffering, the topic stays within the confines of mental constructs and states.
My topic relates well with the other topics in my team, especially the topic of emotion. The topic of self-mutilation, for example, is an excellent example of how one uses a philosophical system to rationalize destructive behaviors directed toward the individual's body. In addition, suffering plays a role in self-mutilation both before and after the act. In view of the topic of eating disorders, suffering relates in that eating disorders focus upon how the physical and emotional elements of an individual suffer from an obsessive desire to meet an unattainable goal. The realm of sexuality and suffering relate to each other excellently, especially in light of how many individuals suffer with the doubt of their sexual identity and the resulting pain, both physical and emotional, that can arise from identifying oneself with the homosexual, bisexual, or transgender community.
My topic relates to the second aspect of the team topic, perfection, in so far as my topic examines how philosophies view suffering in relation to how an individual should act in the quest for perfection, whether that perfection is embodied in the assertion of will over all other things or the complete resignation to what may happen in life. The differing stances each philosophy takes toward the problem of suffering and pain illustrates how that particular philosophy handles the issue of perfection, especially in the context of mental states.
Relationship of Suffering to the Ideal
The topic of suffering, especially when taken in the context of different philosophies, has a strong relationship to the Ideal, which is the course theme. The constant struggle of societies and cultures to attain the elusive notion of an Ideal is epitomized in my topic, since the topic examines the very paradigms by which those societies and cultures relate the sufferings and tribulations that they experience to their perpetual quest for the Ideal. Moreover, the method in which the different philosophies treat the topic of suffering illustrates what constitutes the Ideal for those who follow the various different philosophies discussed, from a life that contains complete virtue in a whole life complimented by external goods or a life based on bringing the greatest pleasure with least pain. By closely examining how each individual philosophy handles the topic of suffering, one is able to deduce how that philosophy views the Ideal and what a person must and must not do in order to obtain said Ideal.
Additionally, in every person's quest for their individual idea of the Ideal, every action and decision one makes is influenced by a set of ethics and paradigms that finds representation in the world of philosophy. Whether a person chooses to commit suicide in order to escape pain and suffering or use that suffering as a means of personal growth is all determined by what philosophical system said person adheres.
Relationship of Suffering to Therapy versus Enhancement
The topics of suffering and therapy versus enhancement have extensive similarities and differences. For instance, the two topics both have mental constructs in mind, since mine distinguishes between different forms of suffering and different approaches to those forms of suffering and the other distinguishes between the different types of actions one takes and what the approaches to those actions are. An example of this would be the manner in which the topic of suffering distinguishes between the cause of suffering and and the goal or final end of actions taken to rectify the suffering, with the topic of therapy versus enhancement distinguishing between the cause of medical procedures and the final end of the procedure.
The two topics become further intertwined when one examines how through a person's individual philosophical system, he may conclude that, for example, his performance as a pitcher has been suffering because he does not have as strong of an arm muscle as he could. The topic of therapy versus enhancement then examines this situation in light of the cause or need to have the procedure done and the final end of the procedure. Is the person injured? Will this procedure enhance or make better what was repaired from an injury? Is the procedure necessary for the person to live a happy, normal, and productive life? Is the procedure being performed solely out of a desire or out of a need? In answering all of these questions and distinguishing between a therapeutic procedure and an enhancing procedure, the distinguisher must rely on some basis by which to distinguish the two, which is supplied by the philosophical system to which he adheres. Thus, as one can see, the two topics are closely intertwined.
While the two possess a striking number of similarities, differences do exist. For example, the topic of suffering, in a philosophical perspective, attempts to restrict itself solely to the mental states of people, while the mental state of a person opting for a procedure is merely a springboard for the topic of therapy versus enhancement, which finally rests in the physical, material world.
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