suffering

 

The BBC, Reuters, and other agencies are sharing photos and video clips of a stream of thousands of Gazans heading back to north Gaza on foot, with little idea what they will find when they get there. It puts me in mind of the ancient Israelites making an exodus from Egypt. There is only one humanity, and when we lose sight of the humanity of others it can only lead to the loss of our own. The good news is that what is lost can be found, what is hidden in darkness can be brought into the light, what is stolen away can be restored, what lies in ruins can be rebuilt.

Language changes over time. In English, to suffer used to mean to be the subject of the actions of someone else, as opposed to the one who acts. In a grammatical sense, to be passive; in an experiential sense, to possess less agency than the other person. In the Early Modern English translation of the Bible authorised by King James we hear Jesus instruct his disciples to suffer the little children to come unto him, which is to say, carry those too young to walk. In this understanding, we can suffer ill-treatment or suffer loving-kindness. And others can suffer ill-treatment or loving-kindness at our hands.

Just as we suffer destruction at the hands of others, even if we contribute with self-destructive behaviour, so also the rebuilding of our lives requires that we suffer the help of others, even if it also requires our active participation. Just as we suffer the degradation of our humanity, so we must suffer the restoration. No man, woman, or child is an island.

Humanity is revealed in our suffering.