Suffering to grow

Abstract

More and more people today seem to be conditioned by our ever-advancing technology to anticipate instant gratification. We are an impatient people, annoyed if we have to wait in line, infuriated if we cannot see at least in our mind's eye the fruits of our labors, disenchanted if we experience a lag between our hope and its fulfillment. Our expectation of immediate gratification not only affects our consumption of goods and services (wherein we are beginning to sense the staggering problems of pollution and waste); it increasingly plays a part in our interpersonal relationships, our self-expectations, and our religious and moral convictions. How can we live happy and productive lives in meaningful relation with one another in a society where the investments of time and effort seem increasingly to become alien qualities? Can marriages and other close social bonds reach maturity when little effort is invested and allotted time is so short? Can we reach the full potential of our own maturity without struggle throughout life? Can we develop values and grow in faith without engagement in the agony of doubt, uncertainty, and frustration? That more and more people are asking such questions, recognizing these kinds of problems, and calling into question the whole instant gratification syndrome I view as a positive development. Further more, I believe that much of the work being done in the social sciences, in philosophy, and in religion suggests alternative value systems and a return to basic life phenomena. The importance of struggle and even suffering as a means to growth and maturity seems to be gaining acceptance. In the face of all the drugs designed to deaden pain, all the ready escapes and easy blocks to our awareness of our distasteful feelings, some people struggle to live life with deepened awareness of its joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain. I am convinced that the recognition and willful experience of suffering is a prerequisite to growth and maturity, that it, as a part of increased awareness of all in life, is essential to happiness and full human potential. I believe that Gestalt therapy and Christian religion offer theoretical and practical bases for this conviction. Before turning my attention to the importance of suffering in both Gestalt therapy and Christian religion, I will examine some of the basic assumptions of Gestalt therapy and draw parallels to them in Christian tradition and theology.