72 | SOCIAL ERROR BOOK
Making sense of suffering
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Author: Ferenc Hammer, sociologist Photo: Gergő Nagy
parcel of the individual ring which would be solely part and One cannot envision any form of suffe rs. othe of nce to or responsibility in question, without any conseque culture A fairly convenient understanding of ng and maki of ess defines it primarily as a proc culture all is It life. in s thing of changing meaning ure gest a g, ishin aston cape lands a es that defin train a g, tenin lame, a pastry kosher, a sign frigh argue that late, a face dirty, and indeed, some physical even nt exte and ect resp in a certain depending pain may affect individuals differently, they learn on particular standards and norms can be so ring suffe onal pers our in their lives. If s and norm rs’ othe and our upon nt inge cont underour that lude expectations, one may conc more even be may ring suffe rs‘ standing of othe us teach re cultu and ty socie what on t dependen of nces eque cons about the causes, qualities and culture may suffering. A person’s suffering in one another in lege privi on’s pers her easily be anot the social culture. While one can hardly find ty, there is category of “the sufferer” in any socie
gories with a a regiment of social roles and cate ring. suffe of sort some of e defining stanc to eliminate Suffering, or more precisely, the aim etaphysical suffering, has received a close-to-m amental fund a of less Not res. status in our cultu to the U.S. ent ndm Ame th Eigh the than ce, sour unusual Constitution states that “cruel and a range and ted“, inflic be] not l punishments [shal ts assert men docu s right an hum tal amen of fund suffering is that the the aim of protection from which is a ity, dign an hum a defining aspect of as such. ition cond an hum the of ure final meas ring suffe re, In a quite different corner of cultu , ment treat tal amen fund had received an even more a was it a, dogm stian Chri the to as according d humanity suffering of the Saviour that redeeme notion the ed, inde from eternal damnation, and ons religi in idea d sprea wide quite of the martyr is a on, versi d larize secu its as d, worl the around
p a e ch t a th n e p p a h ly si ea n ca t “I concern for social justice in peop criticism of mainstream media t more thoughtful and humanisti