Would you agree or disagree with the statement listed in details?

Question

"It no longer matters who is right. It only matters who is suffering. And how that suffering may be ended"

Agree or Disagree?

Especially in relation to mens/womens rights.

Answer 1

who is right is a matter of perspective
and what is right from one point of view
is totally wrong from another
we live with that every day

Who is suffering is more real
from any view point.
And there fore matters most.

IF human suffering is of concern,
to many it is not.

Some one asked the question
what is better to do the wrong thing for the right reasons?
or to do the right thing for the wrong reasons ?

And MOST people answered it was more important to
do things for the right reasons ,even if it was wrong

i think that is the biggest problem we got
so many doing the wrong thing ,because they are convinced ,they are right

If one does the RIGHT thing ,
but you motives are evil or selfish
who cares ?

What matters is that you are doing the RIGHT thing
your motives are less important than the result

Answer 2

Well, this is one of the questions where I actually read all the previous answers first, and you've got some good ones already. I would agree with what (so far) seems to be the minority -- including the fact that once you throw out the concept of "right", "suffering" logically has to be tossed shortly thereafter. Thus, if one concept matters, both must.

First off, as previously stated, take care of the "suffering" -- this could be difficult to do FIRST, though, especially in relation to m/w rights. Then, instead of assigning blame, focus on the positive and decide / figure out who is right as opposed to who is wrong. Same idea, different angle.

Hope I've added suitably to some already fine answers. Have a great night!

Answer 3

My first reaction was to agree with the proposition, after all, shouldn't the amelioration of suffering be the goal of a civilised society?

However, after some reflection, I think I can't just say a blanket 'yes'.

Suffering of all kinds is inevitable to some degree.

From the very beginning of our time on earth (childbirth), through the pain of teen alienation, the anguish of loss as we go through our lives until the final moments we have on the planet, we all suffer at times and for many reasons.

And while suffering is painful, sometimes beyond painful, it is also an amazing channel for uncovering the best, finest and most wonderful aspects of the human personality.

Suffering the loss of a loved one is one of the most tragic and difficult things any of us can do. But when it happens ~ as eventually it must unless we are dead to all feeling, it has the potential to awaken within us a sense of kinship to others, an understanding of the reality of life for the people we live among, and to make us truly joined in a deeply essential way with those around us.

So no, an end to suffering is at once too much and too little to dream of.

Instead, cannot we imagine the suffering that is accompanied by expressions amd outreach of real support, of shared community and real love?

Of course, there are many forms of suffering which are needless, because they are caused by human folly ~ greed, avarice or power seeking.

Those we can and must end, but a deeper understanding of ourselves and others (an understanding of which feminism is a part) has already seen within our own communities a profound reluctance ~ which grows stronger every decade, to waste the lives of our young in wars, and that of our future generations through carelessness and exploitation of the world's resources.

Slowly we learn the lessons of history and of how we can avoid repeats of the tragic pasts of our species.

To simply say, I will no longer consider the rights or wrongs of the matter if a single person suffers is to take a retrograde step ~ how often has the end of individual suffering simply prolonged the suffering of a whole group, even of a whole nation?

Weighing the facts, and making a decision based on all considerations has always, and will always, be a better way to proceed and to prevent needless suffering, than simple emotional response.

Cheers :-)

Answer 4

I guess that would depend on the circumstances. I think we should always follow our moral sense of right and wrong, regardless of physical suffering. If you give up the fight to end the pain and suffering... you have to ask yourself why you started fighting in the first place. Never give up on what you believe in, and your suffering will not be in vain.


I don't know if I took that out of context or not... but I feel strongly that the truth, or what is 'right' should always prevail. That IS the only way to truly end suffering.

Answer 5

Partly agree. The sentiment is correct - look to the solution and don't play the blame game. However, if the suffering is caused because one side refuses to admit they are wrong or the cause of the problem, then in order to "end the suffering" or solve the problem, it does matter who is right or wrong, as that will be critical to the resolution.

Answer 6

I agree with the statement, but in terms of mens/womens rights we need to be clear about what suffering means.

Many women are told that they are suffering under an oppressive patriarchy that, for example, pays them less than men. However because pay discrimination is an illusion, the suffering is groundless. (See my answer here for evidence re the pay myth http://sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlyHrzpD5JyMPBNeIx5FaNr44gt.;_ylv=3?qid=20071221193722AAqbuqs&show=7#profile-info-SCUINNJkaa).

I don't think that anyone disputes that people with cancer suffer, so lets bring this as an example of actual suffering to the question of mens/womens rights:
"A man diagnosed with prostate cancer has only one-quarter of the cash spent on research into his disease compared to the amount devoted to a woman’s breast cancer. The wide discrepancy shows the scale of the discrimination against men. The two diseases kill similar numbers" http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1827917,00.html

Or lets take domestic violence. Men suffer from this at the same rate as women (though women get injured more unless a weapon is involved) but mens' suffering violence from their partner is not something that feminists want to end; in fact they have done a lot to cover up evidence about domestic violence against men http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/304/kelly.pdf

So yes, I am for ending suffering, and yes I don't care who is right or wrong or whether men or women are doing the suffering. But lets be clear about what's real suffering and what is merely feminist political hype.

Answer 7

Agreed

Answer 8

Sometimes, both sides of a question can be right. I agree that the posturing and argument winning is no where as important as seeking a solution to suffering.
C. :)!!

Answer 9

I suppose the passage was ripped from a context that might have lent it some meaning. But as it stands, the Olympian self-righteousness (which stations itself above questions of right and wrong), the melodramatic sense of pity, and the high school debating team rhetoric merely say Adolescent Liberal loud and clear...
Now this Big Gesture/pseudo-statement benefits both men and women by serving as an example on how not to think and write. I hope you continue to bring similar object lessons to our attention. Continue to make G&WS proud. --Carlos

Answer 10

Agreed.