Thesis: To recognize Benevolence, tragedy must be
experienced.
Author: Tatem Inskeep
Date: 03 April 2008
Key Words: Benevolence, tragedy, misery, malevolence, transcendent, opposition,
redemption, good, bad
I. Introduction
An
innocent child is kidnapped during the night. A drunk driver collides into a
newly-wed couple’s car, killing both of them before they even get to their
honeymoon. Two planes collide with the
It is a fact that no one has ever lived a perfect life, free from all pain, suffering and tragedy. Though attitude and mindset allow some people to handle their hardships differently than others, it remains true that everyone deals with their own unbearable and seemingly undeserved circumstances. No matter how good someone is, no matter how honest they may be, no matter how undeserving they might appear, there is no escaping this unalterable truth that they will face things in life that are undesirable, even cruel and evil. While in the midst of tragedy, it often appears that nothing good will come from the experiences. However, it can be argued that there is a positive aspect of these tragic times when they are closely examined. Often it seems that people do not appreciate the good things they have in their lives until something triggers a change in the situation. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Through tragedy, we gain eyes to see a type of good will and compassion that this paper will later define and name Benevolence. Throughout this paper, it is argued that to recognize Benevolence, tragedy must be experienced. In no other way can people come to see this unmatchable goodness in the world.
II. What is Tragedy?
Tragedy takes on different forms for different people. Throughout life, each person experiences their own version of tragic circumstances. For some, it is the loss of a loved one or the destruction of valuable property. For others, it is bankruptcy or job loss. Still others experience a life when nothing ever goes their way, and it seems that they are doomed to failure, regardless of their integrity, character, or attempts to succeed. Clearly, a definition for tragedy is dependent on the events of each individual’s life, and the experiences they have watched others go through.
Aristotle
was an ancient writer who talked about tragedy in his work. For him, tragedy was an art form, and his
plays focus on developing a tragedy through the use of particular elements that
combine to make something tragic. He
believed that the best tragedies would have “complication and resolution,
recognition and reversals, while centering on characters of heroic stature,
idealized yet true to life (Poetics).” Clearly,
he believed in a dynamic interaction between two sides that would both be
necessary to create an ebb and flow within the story line.
In this paper, tragedy is defined as ‘an undeserved hardship befalling an unfortunate group or individual that results in misery of the soul and body.’ It is a recognizable example and tangible expression of malevolence. Nietzsche discusses the idea of misery in his work The Gay Science. He emphasized two aspects of misery, the “misery of the soul as well as the body” (Nietzsche 112). These two ideas are included in the definition of tragedy because real tragedy not only affects a person in a physical way, but more importantly, tragedy is an attack on someone’s soul, reaching deeper into their life and hindering them in ways that are not always viewed on the surface. Tragedy reveals an unfulfilled need for something more. The dictionary states that tragedy is “a disastrous event, especially one involving distressing loss or injury to life” (Webster). It is a cruel, life changing experience that one must endure, even when the victim did not deserve it. Whatever the definition, tragedy is normally not something to be taken lightly. Tragedy comes to those who do not expect it, and when it arrives, it changes the current situation. Tragedy is something that has great impact on a person’s life and it takes time to recover from – if recovery ever does come. It is an agent of change that one is forced to deal with, regardless of whether they wanted to or not.
III. What is Benevolence?
Webster’s dictionary describes benevolence as a disposition made up of a choice and desire for the happiness of others. Another definition states that:
Benevolence characterizes the true goodness of the mind and spirit, the unbiased kindness to do good…it confers thought and regard for the welfare of other people, and finds expression in sympathy and compassion, with charitableness and kindness. (Webster)
In addition, it will be argued that this idea of Benevolence can lead to a higher ideal of promoting happiness and good will that becomes metaphysical and transcendent in nature. Through experiencing tragedy, a person recognizes that there is something else in control of their life, be it a God, a cosmic ‘good will’ and ‘bad will,’ or simply luck. Whatever the case, these ideas are not tangible things, but those that exist in the world apart from us. Tragedy occurs, and Benevolence appears as a response to these situations, often in a much more powerful way than could be anticipated. While each person contains a degree of this benevolent attitude, not everyone acts on this ideal. There are still other times when a transcendent Benevolence is recognized. This transcendent Benevolence is a signal of a greater force at work that has allowed good things to come to those who may not expect it. Peter Berger writes about this type of signal to something transcendent in A Rumor of Angels, as he discusses “phenomena found within the domain of our “natural” reality but that appear to point beyond that reality” (Berger 59). Berger believes that there are some gestures in life that speak to something greater than human traits, and dive deeper into a higher inspiration.
While most of us experience difficulty in life on a regular basis, there are some people who tend to have everything go their way. These people often take things for granted in their world due to a lack of tragic experiences. It is hard for them to recognize true Benevolence because they have never had the opportunity to really experience anything horrible to compare with their overwhelming good fortune. To recognize Benevolence, tragedy must be experienced. Life does not always go the way one might expect it to, and this is something that is not in our control. If life was perfect, would anyone recognize it as so? It will be argued that there would be no way of recognizing life as good if there was no opposite against which to compare it. To recognize good, you must cognitively be aware of bad. You cannot recognize something as the better alternative if you do not know there is any other way things could possibly be.
IV. Opposition Necessary for Recognition
Benevolence needs an opposite to be recognized. This is true with all experiences and states of being in life. If you have never experienced heat, then how can you conceptually recognize when you are cold? If you have never been full, then how can you tell that you are hungry? Benevolence is another thing in life best realized when in comparison to its opposite. This is possible because both tragedy and Benevolence do exist in the world. If both were not present, then the one that existed would not be identifiable. Nietzsche speaks of this necessity when he talks about “complementary tension” and how both opposites must exist for either of them to be real. He felt that there were two important perspectives to surveying the world that each person must consider. These two perspectives are the Apollonian and Dionysian points of view. The two ideas contrast each other, yet work together to reveal truth about each other. Nietzsche felt that if either of these two principles could exist in isolation, then both would be empty and pointless. A writer named Rick Furtak expanded on this idea when discussing specifically the idea of Nietzsche’s Apollonian vantage point. He says:
The possibility of heroism and the existence of misery are bound together like two sides of the same coin, and the Apollonian principle of individuation is responsible for both the glory and terror of life as we know it. (Furtak)
This statement points to the need for both heroism, which is a form of Benevolence, and misery, which is a form of tragedy. Placing these two ideas on the two sides of the coin links them together and visually portrays them as intertwined. Without tragedy, Benevolence would not be able to be seen in the world.
V. Tragedy Allows for Redemption
Tragedy provides an opportunity for redemption which is a manifestation of Benevolence. While it is hard to find joy in tragedy, there is a positive view of this state. Tragedy provides for redemption because it demands redemption. A person’s experience of severe loss reveals various needs – a need for what was lost, a need for support, a need for something to get them back to a stable place again. Redemption is a method of recovery and replacement so that a person gets their life back together. Redemption is defined as a rescue, or deliverance. It is an act of recovery, and is something that all those who suffer from tragedy need. Being redeemed is made possible through an act of Benevolence, a sign of charity and compassion.
However, one would argue that if someone were to die in the midst of their tragic experience, then they would not be able to recognize Benevolence, assuming there is no afterlife. If someone is dead, they have no ability to cognitively perceive anything else, because their brain is no longer functioning. While this is a true fact, it is important to note that we are not alone in this world. Though one person may die, many others are left who knew that person, and they are now provided with the opportunity to observe and recognize Benevolence in their own tragedy of grief and loss. The world we live in is one where interpersonal interaction is impossible to avoid, and there is a lot of room for people to learn from others’ situations. While an opposing view to this statement would believe that the situation remains unredeemably tragic for the person who is dead, this statement is very difficult to prove. None of us who are living have experienced death, so we are unable to state fact about what happens after a person stops breathing. Maybe there is no positive result of a death. However, maybe there is something after death that is glorious and Benevolent. Or maybe you will be reincarnated so as to have a second chance at living a positive and fruitful life, free of suffering and tragic experiences.
Not all situations of tragedy truly lead to the recognition of Benevolence for all people. For many, they will never be able to see that redemption has occurred in a specific event. If your spouse dies in his or her sleep, they are incapable of recognizing any Benevolence. However, the recognition itself is not contingent on who recognizes it, but simply on the fact that it is recognized by someone.
VI. How Can There Be Good From Bad?
For those who hold pessimistic viewpoints on life, it is believed that nothing good can come from something bad, especially something that is deemed tragic. Pain and tragedy, in general, are things all people wish to avoid. Nietzsche writes about this in The Gay Science. He believes that ideas of misery used to be more acceptable and expected, but now that belief has changed for most:
The general lack of experience of pain…and the relative rarity of the sight of anyone who is suffering have an important consequence; pain is now hated much more than was the case formerly; one speaks much worse of it; indeed, one considers the existence of the mere thought of pain scarcely endurable and it turns into a reproach against the whole of existence” (Nietzsche 113).
Even though tragedy is a whole different thing than simply pain, it is still true that if people can barely deal with the thought of pain, then there will be definite issues when it comes to the even more horrendous instances that are tragic. One contemporary worldview discloses pain and hardship as negative, and that the suffering often times leads to nothing more than a downward spiral into greater struggle for humanity and is evident within problems in society. The more people that have to face tragic experiences, the lower the morale of individuals becomes, as well as the world as a whole.
Because of the mindset we have all fallen into about tragedy, it is hard to defend that there is Benevolence to be found in tragic experiences. Arguments against Benevolence include that death is tragic, and redemption is not possible if a person has died. However, Nietzsche mentions something on this idea in his The Birth of Tragedy and defends the thought that good can come from tragedy. He reflects on the works of Sophocles and states:
The most sorrowful figure of the Greek stage, the hapless Oedipus…in spite of his wisdom was destined to error and misery, but nevertheless through his extraordinary sufferings ultimately exerted a magical, wholesome influence on all around him, which continues effective even after his death. (Nietzsche ch. 9 par. 2)
This “magical, wholesome influence”
is manifested Benevolence, and comes about only as a result the tragic
experiences Oedipus has gone through during his life. This quote supports the idea that the
Benevolence and redemption that arises from a tragic event is not always going
to fall on the person or group that was most directly affected by the
situation. Oedipus suffered tragically
throughout his life, but other people learned from observing his personal
experiences. When the
However, this idea is not enough for some people. It might be said that this is a weak argument, and that true Benevolence should do more than just rally support. If Benevolence is transcendent, then it would make sense that it would make a person realize they are better off in the aftermath of this tragic experience than before it occurred. Yet, there are some instances of tragedy that seem to be nothing other than horrendous. Take for example the Holocaust. Many of the people who were affected by the Holocaust would say that it is insensitive and disrespectful to believe that the tragedy of the Holocaust could be viewed in any sort of positive light. How could the torturous deaths of thousands of innocent people reveal Benevolence to anyone other than a twisted mind?
While tragedy is necessary to recognize Benevolence, it is not necessary that Benevolence is always recognized in tragedy. Benevolence is an idea that is not limited to human ideas, but is transcendent in a manner that cannot always be comprehended by man, and certainly not necessarily understood immediately following the tragic event. Even though transformation and enlightenment are results of tragedy, not all people accept this idea or open their minds to anything outside of what they can visually see occurring.
VII. Grace and Enlightenment
While not all people agree about the existence of a God, it is important to note religious opinions on this topic so that it can be fully explored. For centuries, people have turned to religion for answers to life’s hardest questions. It is impossible to explain away everything that we experience in life, and the majority of things in the end will be left up to speculation and mystery. Religious thought provides interesting considerations and possible explanations for some of those topics that we desire to understand.
Christianity is
one religion that has always looked for and found something positive in tragic
circumstances. This is based on the
foundational story about the Fall of Man, and the grace that has been given as
a result of this, through the death of Christ.
Christians believe that, in the beginning, God created man and woman, who
were given very few limitations on their life.
However, the two wanted to be like God and have ultimate freedom, so
they challenged Him by exploring their boundaries and breaking the most
important rule. They ate fruit from a
specific tree that was put out of bounds, and from that moment on, all of
creation was deemed “fallen.” This fallen state appears to be tragic in and of
itself. However, the original couple,
Adam and Eve, deserved to “fall” after their straying from God. The tragedy is not completely evident until
we see Jesus Christ, a sinless man, suffering for the sins of so many
others. Jesus Christ was crucified on a
cross because he appeared to be a threat to the Jewish faith. He told people that it was through him that
they would find everlasting life. He did
no harm to anyone, but in the end was murdered.
Buddhist beliefs also support the idea that tragedy leads to something good. All of our life can be seen as one giant tragedy, as everyone experiences suffering throughout their lifetime. All of our suffering on earth is a result of our desires, yet without having our desires fulfilled we fall into another trap of suffering. Enlightenment comes to us when we are able to extinguish all of our desires and reach a state of mind that is superior to that which we think we want. It is by sifting through that which is bad, we come to realize and eventually attain the state of nirvana.
VIII. Tragedy Provides For Transformation
While tragedy provides opportunity for reconciliation with other people, it also creates a chance for self-evaluation, and eventual transformation. Normally when people suffer from a great tragedy, they go through a period of questioning, trying to figure out why something so horrible has happened to them, and where they should go from now. C.S. Lewis makes a claim that relates to this idea. He states that, “Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us” (Lewis 94). While Benevolence is not exclusive to the idea of recognizing God, this idea is applicable still. When life is positive and all is well, people forget to think that it could be any other way than it is. We are limited to our experiences, and until we realize that there is another option for life’s progression, we often keep ourselves locked into the idea that life is only one way. However, tragedy provides for transformation in thoughts, deeds, and mental processes. This transformation is Benevolence manifested in one’s life. As we evaluate our lives and the events we have experienced, this reflective attitude often allows us to see things we could do differently, as well as notice our characteristics that are positive. No matter what the results are of our self-evaluation, it stands that after experiencing tragedy, a person is forced to make changes in their life.
When tragedy is
experienced, one is forced to react and respond. Alterations must be made to everyday
practices so that balance and order may be recovered and retained within life. Opinions on life must also be altered and
viewpoints are often changed in attempt to find a way to make sense of what had
happened. It is also true that viewing
tragedy in someone else’s life is a way a person can experience tragedy. When the airplanes hit the
IX. Tragedy Reveals an “Other” Than Oneself
A common desire for most people is happiness and a pleasant life, and very few would purposely try to make his or her own life miserable. That being said, when tragedy is experienced by an individual, it requires them to admit that they do not have total control over their life. Something or someone else has clearly interfered with their life plans, and they are now suffering on some level because of it. The book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible is one that speaks to this idea. The book discusses the life story of a man named Job who was “blameless and upright” (Job 1:1). He was a man that followed the Lord, yet tragedy fell on him. The story explains that the Lord and Satan were discussing Job one day, and Satan made the challenge that Job was only faithful to God because he had been blessed with so many gifts. God takes on this challenge and tells Satan, “Behold all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 1:12). With this begins the clearest written example of a man’s experience of tragedy. As the book progresses through its 42 chapters, Job experiences complete loss of all his possessions and loved ones. Job and his friends examine his life to find the reason for his tragedy, but they find no valid reasoning and are left in sheer frustration. Job is put in a place where he has to admit that he is powerless and unable to save himself from the misery he is experiencing. However, in chapter 38, the Lord speaks out to Job and reveals to him His glory and all that He has done. He speaks of all His creations and the works He has done that no mortal man can accomplish. Through the experience that Job endures, he comes to this final conclusion about God:
I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You…Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know….I have heard of You by the ear of hearing, but now my eye sees You. (Job 42:2-6)
Job explains in this passage that his eyes can now see God because of the tragedy he has experienced. He has learned to recognize God, and His Benevolent character as a result of his tragedy and misery in life.
If someone finds they do not have control, then their conclusion must be that some other being, force, or existence is responsible for the control, or at least responsible for affecting their personal control. If tragedy is being experienced, it is only logical that there would be a negative force that is causing their experiences and inflicting harm, pain, or suffering upon them. With the revelation that there is a negative force comes the opposite revelation of a positive force existing as well. This argument is based on that which was discussed earlier, in that there is a need for an opposite for anything to exist and be recognizable.
In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche discusses this idea that tragedy leads to a desire for and resulting recognition of something other than oneself. Even though he may not personally feel that this process of concluding the existence of a god is the best, he says the following:
To be able to live, the Greeks had, from direct necessity, to create these gods….through the Apollonian impulse to beauty, even as roses break forth from thorny bushes. How else could this so sensitive people, so vehement in its desires, so singularly qualified for suffering, have endured existence, if it had not been exhibited to them in their gods, surrounded with a higher glory?...Thus do the gods justify the life of man, in that they themselves live it – the only satisfactory Theodicy! (Nietzsche ch. 3 par. 4)
For the Greeks, the idea that gods existed was not only reassuring but required as a result of the tragedy they experienced. The belief would not have been so reaffirmed and secured if it was not for the suffering they experienced and the belief that the gods were in it with them.
C.S. Lewis agrees with the idea that tragedy serves a purpose to reveal Benevolence. He writes about a moralistic value to the idea of pain, and how it plays into the recognition of God. While pain and tragedy are not the same things, pain is always experienced during tragedy, and clearly plays a role in the revelation of Benevolence. In his book, The Problem of Pain, Lewis discusses how pain reveals that we ourselves are not alone, and not enough, “If the first and lowest operation of pain shatters the illusion that all is well, the second shatters the illusion that what we have, whether good or bad in itself, is our own and enough for us” (Lewis 94).
In this quote, Lewis is recognizing that pain and tragedy beg for something more. Our lone existence is not enough, and the illusion that it could be is called into question through these experiences that show our insufficiency. He further discusses this idea in the following quote. While he believes that pain and tragedy reveal the need for God, this corresponds with the idea of recognizing Benevolence as this idea is a transcendent one that can relate to the idea of a specific God:
Once pain has roused him, he knows that he is in some way or another ‘up against’ the real universe: he either rebels (with the possibility of a clearer issue and deeper repentance at some later stage) or else makes some attempt at an adjustment, which, if pursued, will lead him to religion….No doubt Pain as God’s megaphone is a terrible instrument…but it gives the only opportunity the bad man can have for amendment. It removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul. (Lewis 91)
This quote states that it is through pain the bad man is given his only opportunity for amendment. It would appear that this would limit tragedy as a valuable experience only when used as a tool against those people who might actually deserve what is happening to them. However, ‘bad man’ is a loose term in itself, and Lewis is using it to refer to mankind in general. Following the Christian belief that no one is perfect and we are all doomed to failure if left to our own devices, this ‘bad man’ is the same as calling anyone a ‘man.’ It is through tragedy that we find that we are not enough, and we are forced to make the decision to believe there is something that is, or accept the fate that we are alone in the world.
X. Conclusion
Throughout this paper, an interaction between tragedy and Benevolence is revealed as necessary and observable. While there is ambiguity in some cases as to pinpointing a clear cut standard for defining tragedy, it is something that all people will experience to some degree during their lifetime. Similarly, while Benevolence can be a hard idea to grasp, many people will come to know the reality of its existence through their personal trials and circumstances. Tragedy is seen as a tangible manifestation of malevolence, and Benevolence is a transcendent ideal expressed through avenues such as transformation and redemption. Both tragedy and Benevolence are present in the world as they interact in a complementary tension with each other, and reveal a dynamic in life which all people are affected by. While much of the Benevolence is not recognized physically, but more often is seen on a spiritual, mental, or emotional level, experiencing tragedy provides realistic opportunities for revelation and change.
Tragedy must be experienced for one to recognize Benevolence. The tragic “misery of the soul” cannot be comforted in any other way than through Benevolence, and it is in those instances where good will is revealed that something great happens. Tragedy allows for a person to be in need, and redemption covers that need. Tragedy also forces one to cope with an unexpected change, and at the same time provides an avenue for transformation. The ideas and issues addressed in this paper encourage a new outlook on the hard time experienced in life, and show that even when things appear to be undesirable, there is at least some degree of personal growth that can be attained in the aftermath. While tragedy is by definition a misery of the soul, there is a positive vantage point that can be taken when Benevolence is considered and revealed through the intense hardship and struggle that occurs.
Works Cited
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Translated by Malcolm Heath. 1996.
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Furtak, Richard. The Birth of
Tragedy: Introduction. 2006. Originally published 1872.
Lewis, C.S. The Problem of Pain.
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Neitzsche, The Gay Science. 1974.
Webster’s Dictionary Online. http://www.m-w.com/.