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Recent dystopian YA fiction often figures young people as victims of radically unfair and authoritarian structures that pit them against one another in desperate bids for survival. We argue that such structures are not just tropes for inter-generational conflict (a typical battle between emerging and established adults) but are also fictionalized manifestations of real contemporary neoliberal structures, in which young people are, to borrow Wendy Brown's language, 'responsibilized' to manage their own lives and livelihoods with fewer and fewer external resources. In this article, we read Veronica Roth's Divergent series, including the popular film adaptations, through this lens, tracking how reduced, limited, and reconfigured forms of agency--what Jane Elliot calls 'suffering agency'--form, deform, and reform the bodies and embodied experiences of its young protagonists., IN MANY YA DYSTOPIAS, TESTING AND SOCIAL CONTROL DRIVE THE dramatic plot and build affective identification with young readers who might themselves feel subject to a variety of local and [...]

The currently dominant readings of the book of Job agree on one essential point: the book refutes the retributory theology assumed to be Jewish orthodoxy, whereby God punishes the wicked [...]

Let me begin by thanking each of you for this distinct honor. It has been one of the great privileges of my professional career to serve as President of the [...]

'this seemed a night when things begin.' (57) Echoing, but significantly reworking, Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Graham Greene sets A Burnt-Out Case (1960) in the Congo. 'This Congo is a [...]

Lamentations is a book for today. And yet, in a world where the tide of human suffering threatens to overwhelm whatever dikes we put in place to contain it, is [...]

That economic injustice is one of the central topics of our time is hard to dispute. Even those who seek to avoid the topic cannot escape the numbers and the [...]

The mercy of the West has been social revolution. The mercy of the East has been individual insight into the basic self/void. We need both. --Gary Snyder (1) Another way [...]

Together we are facing a global kairos of humanity because these years are decisive for whether our civilization will irreversibly continue to produce death or whether we find a way [...]

When it comes to punishment, should we be subjectivists or objectivists? That is, should we define, measure, and justify punishment based on the subjective experiences of those who are punished [...]

Recent history enables us to understand in a new way Isaiah's famous passage about God's servant whose tragic suffering can be redemptive to those who once reviled and belittled him [...]

Byline: Kirsi Talala (1), Taina Huurre (2), Hillevi Aro (2), Tuija Martelin (3), Ritva Prattala (1) Keywords: Psychological distress; Socio-demographic differences; Education; Employment status; Family status Abstract: Background Mental health problems are a major public health issue worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the relative importance of socio-demographic characteristics associated with different domains of psychological distress in Finland. Methods Data source was a nationwide survey 'Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult Population' (AVTK), from years 2002 to 2003 (N = 5425 response rate 66%). Psychological distress was measured by self-reported questions of general mental health (MHI-5), depression, insomnia and stress. Socio-demographic factors included education, employment status, partnership and children living in the household. Main analyses were conducted by multivariate logistic regression. Results Education, employment and partnership were associated with most of the psychological distress outcomes. Respondents with a lower educational level had poor mental health in both genders but less insomnia and stress in men. Those with an intermediate education had the least stress in women. The unemployed and retired were at a higher risk for poor mental health and depression. Moreover, employment status was associated with insomnia and stress in men. Respondents not having a partner showed a higher risk of psychological distress according to all measures. Not having children living in the household was associated with insomnia in women and with less stress in men. Conclusions Socio-demographic factors, such as having a partner and employment status, are associated with several measures of psychological distress indicating the importance of social and economic factors to psychological well-being. The association of education and of having children living at home varies by the domain of psychological distress measure. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki, 00300, Finland (2) Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Helsinki, Finland (3) Department of Health and Functional Capacity, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Helsinki, Finland Article History: Registration Date: 22/05/2007 Received Date: 26/09/2006 Accepted Date: 22/05/2007 Online Date: 05/07/2007

My goal in 'Karma, Rebirth, and the Problem of Evil' was to stimulate discussion about karma and rebirth as a solution to the problem of innocent suffering in the world. […]

Forgiveness is found to be a powerful tool psychotherapeutically to decrease excessive emotional, mental and physical suffering in many clinical disorders and to bring about successful reconciliation in many relationships. Forgiveness benefits the giver rather than the receiver more and the one who forgives strongly opposes wrong behaviour and does not oppose the wrongdoer as a person.

The author bemoans the frustrated reader response to New Woman novels of late Victorian Britain. A close reading of 'The Heavenly Twins', shows readers are denied happy endings and have a foretaste of what they must suffer for the sake of future generations, in fact, the novel demands from their readers that they suffer to become part of the 'track to the water's edge'.

Recent criticism in Christian theology regarding suffering and the view that the Christian Church glorifies suffering as a means of redemption is refuted. It is argued that only Christ's suffering was redemptive but human suffering is neither redemptive nor positive.

This essay is dedicated, with gratitude, to the memory of A.J. Heschel, whose work has inspired both my religious vocation and my academic work, on the centenary of his birth. [...]

The collection of autobiographical poetry written by Alan Shapiro is analyzed, in which he portrays personal tragedies and trauma, thus violating the boundary between art and life and transforming individual experience into communal form. Through his poems, 'Song and Dance' (2002) portraying his brother's death, 'Tantalus in Love' (2005) speaking about his divorce and 'Vigil' on his sister's death, he uses art as a tool for temporary relief from life's suffering, as an ethical response to the suffering.

The inability of the modern moral imagination and technical organization, which failed to deal with, troubled reality of evil and suffering following the earthquake and tsunami that decimated much of Southeast Asia in December 2004 is narrated. The wisdom that could fathom such natural disasters requires communal practices where one's vulnerability is scripted as a special sort of moral strength by participation in the Trinitarian exchange of love.

A discussion on the theological problems about questions related to Christ's sufferings, and how Paul can fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the church, is presented. The evidence of extant Greco-Roman materials indicates that both suffering as exhortation and suffering as expiation should be included in the understanding of vicarious suffering, while understanding Paul's sufferings, as the gospel is explicated in Colossians, are acts that possess a mimetic vicariousness in the most natural way.

This article is based on ongoing qualitative research that explores elders' (80+) experiences of suffering. We show how respondents link the subject of suffering to a personal sense of the sacred in order to find meaning for suffering. We describe the major concepts of this article: the sacred, suffering, aging identity, and narrative. Through case studies, we show how an individual's sense of the sacred and experiences of suffering are revealed through the use of metaphors and symbols in the narrative. A key finding of this article is that concepts and experiences of suffering and a personal sacred emerge contextually from an elder's individual biography and communal history, as well as from present life circumstances.

The longing of the heart is the deepest sign of fulfillment and yet it terrifies the mind because it does not belong to this world. Longing is the pain of separation and at the same time the affirmation of union and is the dynamic imprint upon consciousness of the soul's memory of the eternal moment when people are together with God.

Many theists and atheists believe that God would not permit an evil unless God's allowing it (or an evil at least as bad) is required for a greater good. In 'The Argument from Particular Horrendous Evils' (and elsewhere) Peter van Inwagen has argued against this belief by appealing to his 'No Minimum Claim' (NMC), namely, that it is reasonable to believe there is no minimum amount of evil required for God's purposes. In this paper I distinguish different formulations of NMC, and, by drawing an instructive parallel to traditional sorites paradoxes, refute Jeff Jordan's criticism that because morally significant suffering is finitely diminishable, NMC must be false.

A discussion on Susan Evance's female poetic production, the melancholy language, and focus on female suffering is presented. Evance's poetry represents an important turning point in a tradition of female poetry based on the affective potential of the discourse of sensibility and it celebrates the capacity of religion and domestic affections to provide a productive outlet for emotions, more than the individual's potential to shape the world through powerful feeling.

Job's story does not begin with cursing words. They are his third utterance, and their sentiment is worlds apart from his first two brief remarks: 'Naked I came from my [...]

Byline: Steven D. Edwards (1) Keywords: Cassell; scientific understanding; suffering; van Hooft Abstract: This paper has three main aims. The first is to provide a critical assessment of two rival concepts of suffering, that proposed by Cassell and that proposed in this journal by van Hooft. The second aim of the paper is to sketch a more plausible concept of suffering, one which derives from a Wittgensteinian view of linguistic meaning. This more plausible concept is labeled an 'intuitive concept'. The third aim is to assess the prospects for scientific understanding of suffering. Author Affiliation: (1) Centre for Philosophy and Health Care, School of Health Science, University of Wales Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK Article History: Registration Date: 07/10/2004 Article note: This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.

Byline: M.J. SiemiAska (1), M. SzymaAska (1), K. Mausch (1) Keywords: needs of a sick person; sensitivity of students; suffering of a sick person Abstract: Doctor and patient meet in a circle of feelings determined by suffering. Sensitivity to the suffering is an axis determining the nature of the doctor and patient relationship. The patient's experience of an illness is individual, private, and very often difficult to describe. But the possibility to understand the suffering of another person comes from the fact that suffering is a universal feeling. We propose to enter the world of patient's experience by writing a letter to a doctor, which would reflect their experiences and expectations towards him. This was the task required for 120 students of the second year of medicine and dentistry education. Author Affiliation: (1) Pomorska Akademia Medyczna, Pracownia Psychologii i Socjologii Lekarskiej, Ul. Rybacka 1, 70--204, Szczecin, Poland Article History: Registration Date: 09/10/2004 Article note: This revised version was published online in October 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.

SOCIAL SUFFERING, THE TOPIC OF THIS ISSUE of Daedalus, brings into a single space an assemblage of human problems that have their origins and consequences in the devastating injuries that [...]

THIS ESSAY LEAVES ME WITH A SENSE not only of achieved depth but of inexhaustible tact, of simplicity and attention in the face of unencompassable devastations of spirit. With no [...]

SOCIAL SUFFERING IS NOT A TERM in common use today; it does not figure in the subject indices of even the most sophisticated data banks; it is not an expression [...]

A request for euthanasia or assistance in suicide usually derives from severe patient distress and indicates significant suffering. Although the Hippocratic purview of medicine requires that suffering be acknowledged, its causes be identified, and that steps be taken to provide adequate relief, an appreciation of the diversity of factors that may contribute to suffering underscores the need for methodical assessment and familiarity with a range of therapeutic strategies. It may be argued that when other options to effectively relieve suffering are available, euthanasia and assisted suicide fall outside of the purview of Hippocratic medicine. Given the existence of other options, the capacity for human maleficence, and the lack of resources currently allocated to the relief of suffering, this paper presents a number of reservations regarding the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide. In addition, it is suggested that the current community focus on the issue of inadequately relieved suffering should be harnessed to work toward the provision of care that would diminish the impression that elective death is necessary to ensure adequate relief.

Years ago, I lived in an old brown house that had been converted into apartments. Next door lived a Dutchman, older than I was and divorced, with a son who [...]