What is Suffering? Alicia Aron Socrates: Im glad you decided to join me. Hasatan: Yes of course you are.

Now what do you wish to bug me about today Socrates: I would li!e to discuss the nature of suffering. "ince you are ob#iously an e$%ert Im sure that . . . Hasatan: You wish to understand my craft& I shall enlighten you. "uffering is a necessary instrument of retribution. It is a fire that must be brought down u%on those who sin against their almighty creator. Socrates: 'etribution you say "o I will ta!e this to mean just retaliation against sin Hasatan: Yes of course. (oes the word retribution not im%ly justice Socrates: )ften it does. *orgi#e me but I must clarify& you are saying that when man sins against his almighty creator it is both necessary and just to bring fiery suffering u%on him And thusly are we to say that suffering is a necessary hand of justice Hasatan: Yes "ocrates& I ha#e already said as much. Socrates: "o if you +the accuser, are to beha#e justly then it is necessary to %unish a sinner with suffering. In other words you say that suffering is a necessary condition for justice. Hasatan: Yes& yes of course. PHI111

Socrates: And shall we call this %articular suffering& this retribution& hell fire Hasatan: -hat is the %unishment yes. Socrates: I must say& that I ha#e wandered the !ingdoms of hea#en and hell each& and ha#e found sinners in both hea#en and hell. .ould it be fair to say that some sinners ha#e been allowed into the !ingdom of hea#en without e#er ha#ing e$%erienced hell fire Hasatan: Yes well& they were forgi#en. Socrates: *orgi#en (oes that mean that they were able to be forgi#en because they a%ologi/ed Hasatan: Yes. Socrates: .ould you consider yourself to be an instrument of justice Hasatan: Yes& that is my %ur%ose. Socrates: And being an instrument of justice re0uires beha#ing justly Hasatan: I dont understand what youre getting at. Socrates: .ell& in your own admittance& your causing suffering on a sinner is a necessary condition for your being just. -his means that you cannot be just if you are not causing suffering. You also say that sometimes it is not necessary for you to %unish a sinner with suffering. Hasatan: )nly when he is forgi#en. Socrates: 'egardless& there are circumstances when it is not necessary to %unish a sinner in the name of justice. -his is a contradiction of your former assertion wouldnt you say It either is or it isnt necessary to cause suffering in order to be just. Hasatan: I do not understand your line of reasoning "ocrates. Socrates: "hall I call your attention to another e$am%le As you are ob#iously aware&

there ha#e been for a long time many men who ha#e !illed in the di#ine name. 1illing is of course a #ery gra#e sin. Hasatan: )b#iously. Socrates: I ha#e seen many of them frolic!ing in the !ingdom of hea#en& ha#ing ne#er e$%erienced hell fire. I also ha#e noticed that many of them ha#e not had to a%ologi/e in order to be forgi#en. .hy is this Hasatan: -hat is because they were acting on di#ine orders. -hey ha#e committed sins& but their guilt was absol#ed by 2od. Socrates: "till this shows that sometimes you deem it just to let sin go without fiery %unishment. -his of course adds to my argument that suffering is not a necessary condition for justice. Hasatan: I see now what you are saying. 3aybe it is not necessary& you ha#e me there4 howe#er& you ha#e not changed my %osition that the nature and the %ur%ose of suffering is to enact justice. Socrates: "o shall we say instead that your belief is that suffering is a sufficient condition of justice 3eaning that when suffering occurs it is guaranteed that justice is also occurring. Hasatan: Yes& that is what I mean. Socrates: 5et us e$amine this. Hasatan: 'eally& we are continuing this madness Socrates: Ha#e we reached a conclusion Hasatan: I am a being that wields suffering as justice and justice alone6 Socrates: You are growing im%atient with me

Hasatan: I am saying that I only cast suffering u%on those for whom it is deser#ed. Socrates: -hat may be true. Howe#er& I do recall a story I once heard about a man called 7ob. -he story said that although 7ob was a righteous and %ious man& you brought suffering u%on him to test him in his faith. .as this story true Hasatan: Yes that is true. I am willing to admit that there are other %ur%oses for suffering besides retribution. Socrates: 8ut sir& if there are other %ur%oses for suffering besides justice& then surely the %ur%ose of suffering is not retribution. In this case suffering is certainly not a sufficient condition for justice. If suffering is neither sufficient nor necessary for justice then the nature of suffering cannot be retribution. .hat say you now Hasatan: You are a strange %erson "ocrates& and you ha#e a considerable wit for a man. 9nfortunately& you sim%ly do not understand di#ine wisdom.