No one has a monopoly on suffering
Drawing parallels between the sufferings of the privileged and underprivileged
Despite our living in an open air of disaster and destruction, some groups of people think that the land of suffering can’t be freely held by anyone but those akin to them. They intrude on others’ plight with questions and statements like, “Why do you act like your storm is heavier than ours? Our river is overflowing with our blood, yours is merely of tears.” Whether it’s blood or tears, they’re both liquid elements from pain. Whether it’s by the hand of their oppressor or by the combination of the earth’s wind and fire, if it makes them bleed, if it makes them cry, then they’re both experiencing hardship.
In light of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, California, while it must be acknowledged that the plight of the underprivileged is a heavier burden than that of the privileged who are likely to have more financial resilience to recover from the losses of the natural disaster, we must understand that suffering goes beyond finances. The loss of one’s health, heirlooms and physical memories of loved ones doesn't discriminate between the rich and poor. Money becomes less valuable to the rich as it’s no longer a mere necessity for them, so the pain from the loss of immaterial things is just as excruciating for them as it is for the poor.
Of course, the suffering and struggles of the underprivileged weigh more, so they require more sympathy. However, regardless of their level of privilege, both groups feel pain amid disaster and destruction so they also require empathy from each other. Isn’t it better for all groups to share their suffering with one another than for one to hoard theirs and ignore others’? Dalai Lama recalled having severe abdominal pain detailing how he was:
“thinking of this man and felt his suffering, and I completely forgot about my own pain. By simply shifting my focus to another person, which is what compassion does, my own pain was much less intense. This is how compassion works even at the physical level.”
—Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness In A Changing World
Different groups compete over who bears the largest brunt in this fallen world, but ultimately, no one actually has a monopoly on suffering. Perhaps a helpful way to ease our individual pains is to acknowledge other people’s suffering, so a little bit of sympathy and empathy, regardless of our level of privilege, wouldn’t kill us.