The first thing that comes to mind when suffering is mentioned, is war, isn’t it? Then poverty. Then Women. Unfortunately, suffering can come in many shapes and devour twice as many aspects. Physical suffering is a sore and it is very challenging and difficult to both endure, and witness. So, it is very essential to learn about it as a beginning to better understand it, whether in the purpose to fix it, or sympathize with it.
A footage showing a kid named Patrick has gone viral. Patrick was deaf. He has been that way long enough to not comprehend basic physical gestures. He’s never heard a single word. Patrick’s way of life was not helpful either as he lived in a ranch away from people, except for his father whom he’d only understood when he’d gesture to an axe for him to go work the field. A human being who’d never known words, the concept of Meaning. Nothing. He didn’t feel lost because he’s never even had a path to lose in the first place. This went beyond being lost. Patrick was isolated, locked inside his own mind, feeling things that he didn’t even know the meaning of. Just that they didn’t feel good given the fact that you could see how he appeared numb and unaware of anything.
Another problem was his father who’d had to witness his child’s suffering, every day, and feeling helpless. There’s a quote from a book that goes: “The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, we'd learned, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering. When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did.” His desire was for his one child’s suffering to cease, and that in itself was yet another suffering. A ripple effect of the first. But the one good thing about suffering is that sometimes, something can be done about it.
Patrick had gone to a classroom where sign language is taught. There was a teacher, and a wall covered in animal images, hand-motions’ images. As more people filed in (Patrick among them) the process started. You could see how uncomfortable and shy all the students were. Yet soon with the teacher’s encouragement and consistent smile, the students’ determination and their thirst to learn, giggles were slightly audible. They were having fun. The second Patrick was able to fathom the hand gesture for an animal was caught on camera and that moment was heartwarming. Knowing they weren’t alone, knowing it was possible to surpass their disability, it was all worthwhile.
The reality of the situation is that nothing can really stand in the way of true determination and hard work. Desire is not enough. Potential decides the outcome, and the outcome for all those people along with Patrick was the ability to found a purpose and fuel it with eager, solid ambition.
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