The answer that I settled on, for now, is that war has a way of magnifying suffering. Initially wars start over an incident that causes pain of some kind. That suffering spreads to spouses, children, parents, communities, eventually to the whole nation. It only stops when the collective suffering outweighs the cost of continuing to fight.
I think something similar is utilized in fundraising for charitable causes. Charities generate significant media that showcases human suffering. And it works. Once people can experience a part of that suffering, in a small way, they are willing to let their pocketbook suffer in a small way. For example, while we were in Sierra Leone there was a girl, likely <10 years old, with a 6" pedunculated mass growing out the front of her neck. (Picture at the bottom if you're interested in gross stuff) Unfortunately, children embody both the best and worst of humanity, she was mercilessly teased by her peers. Because the news outlets got wind of the story, people and organizations were literally queuing up at the hospital door to cover the expenses of her medical treatment. Because the Waterloo Hospital doesn't have pathology (none in Sierra Leone), intubation equipment, anesthesia machines, or an anesthetist on staff, the excellent surgeon Dr. Kabba couldn't get to the root of the mass or determine what it was. But because the community learned about her suffering, they were able to take action.
My point is, the expansion of suffering past its initial confines isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I'll argue that it's necessary. Christ routinely entered into people's lives at the place of their suffering and I believe it's something that we're called to do as well. It's a humbling thing, to sign up for suffering. Since my conversation with Rachel, I've started to look for suffering. Often there are people in our lives who are silently struggling. Sharing that load and finding support for those people seems like our Christian duty.
It also makes me think about the future of this blog. It will be a platform (or outlet) for the suffering we experience and engage with, both stateside and in Sierra Leone. I anticipate that I will struggle with how best to share both suffering and triumphs to help people participate in God's work all over the world.
