Chimal 1

Christian Chimal

Professor Ditch

ENGL 115

8 Nov 2020

Suffering the Component of Change?

If suffering didn’t exist people wouldn’t change their lives. In the excerpt “Alchemy of

Suffering” by Matthieu Ricard he talks about three types of suffering such as invisible, visible,

and hidden. According to Ricard’s idea of alchemy in suffering, suffering can be transformed

from something negative into something positive when we recognize the type of suffering we

encounter and the source of it. In the book ​March b​ y John Lewis,​ ​he faced social issues such as

segregation, discrimination, and racial injustices. Lewis encounters the three types of suffering

from Ricard’s excerpt during his childhood, schooling, protests, march, and the movement.

Lewis was able to transform his suffering through his empathy, altruism, preaching,

perseverance, and adopting the philosophy of nonviolence. Lewis’s activism was impacted

because he was determined to speak out, rebel, and make a difference in his life but also others in

the African American community.

The first type of suffering present in the book ​March​ is invisible. This type of suffering is

the “hardest to distinguish because it stems from the blindness of our own minds, where it

remains so long as we are in the grip of ignorance and selfishness” (Ricard 36). This means that

it has been inflicted for so long that the suffering becomes unrecognizable. In ​March, J​ ohn Lewis

had the courage to file a suit against the state of Alabama after speaking to Dr. King. Lewis was

told he needed his parents’ permission and support to desegregate Alabama. Although he didn’t
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get their support he transformed his suffering by recognizing that there were problems with

segregation and wanting to make a difference. Lewis’s parents feared the repercussions they’d

face if they challenged their oppressors and became passive and unresistant to the suffering

they’ve endured throughout their lives. Lewis’s activism was impacted because he had the

courage to face his oppressors despite his parents’ disapproval, which led him to head back to

Nashville to change his moral philosophy.

The second source of suffering in the book ​March ​is visible suffering. This type of

suffering is one that is easily acknowledged to the eye when it occurs. In ​March, ​Lewis had

taken classes with Jim Lawson who taught methods of resistance without violence. Lewis

participated in sit-ins to protest against segregation in stores, diners, and restaurants. When

Lewis got involved he was aware of the consequences for challenging the oppressors. Lewis’s

suffering was transformed when he came to terms with the dangers ahead regardless of being

dehumanized, spit-on, beaten, persecuted, and possibly killed. Lewis’s activism was impacted

because he was determined to make a change, which made him overcome his fears and lead to

him protesting through sit-ins.

The third source of suffering that manifests itself in the book ​March ​is hidden​. ​This type

of suffering is “concealed beneath the appearance of pleasure, freedom from care, [and] fun”

(Ricard 36). This means it is caused by a false sense of security, victory, and pride when the

suffering is still present. In ​March ​during Lewis’s childhood, segregation was outlawed which

felt like a great turning point in his life even though the suffering was still there. The moment he

read this in a newspaper he felt that for sure things were going to change and the white people

weren’t pleased with the news. Although it was a moment of triumph over the oppressors there
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were still many more steps to take in order to stop oppression towards African Americans. Lewis

transformed his suffering because he acknowledged there were still things that needed to change

in the African American community, which made his suffering no longer hidden. Lewis’s

activism was impacted by his courage to speak out and preach about the social injustices in his

community.

The first source that connects to ​March​ is an article called “The Making of a Hero:

Cultivating Empathy, Altruism, and Heroic Imagination” by ​Ari Kohen​, ​Matt Langdon​, and

Brian R. Riches​. The authors argue that anyone has the ability to be heroic, but it depends on

their preparation, empathy, and willingness to take action. The authors also conclude that the

majority of people are passive and don’t take action when there are others in need. In March,

John Lewis participated in multiple sit-ins where the number of participants increased every time

because they were inspired to take action and follow along. Through empathy, altruism, and

emotional connection many people who were once bystanders became people who took action in

the African American community. John Lewis not only transformed his suffering but the

suffering of other African Americans within his community. This impacts his activism because it

shaped him to become a leader to preach, protest, march, and make a difference like Dr. King

without violence.

The second online source I chose is called “Deconstructing Dr. Martin Luther King's

‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ and the Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance” by ​Conra D. Gist

and Karsonya Wise Whitehead. The authors talk about Dr. King’s letter that he wrote from

within the Birmingham Jail. Dr. King spoke about the philosophy of nonviolence used in “the

early Christian church and was the first used in modern history by Mohandas ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi,
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in his struggle for India’s independence from British rule” (Gist and Whitehead 7). This means

that the philosophy of nonviolence has been a method used by past activists, pacifists, and people

in the civil rights movement. Dr. King spoke about how this method of nonviolent resistance is a

powerful weapon for those struggling for social justice against the oppressors. In Dr. King’s

letter, he was incarcerated for protesting in Birmingham because he felt it was necessary to resist

without violence through empathy, peace, and love for those who were still oppressed. In the

​ ewis participated in the sit-ins to protest against segregation along with many
book ​March, L

others. He was inspired by Dr. King who preached about injustice and protested without

resorting to violence. Lewis transformed his suffering into fuel for his perseverance to push

through the dangers ahead. Lewis’s activism was impacted because of his willingness to take

action without violence, regardless of being persecuted, beaten, and possibly killed because he

felt that this would create change for those in the African American community.

In conclusion, Matthieu Ricard’s concept of alchemy in suffering is that people don’t just

suffer, but can transform it into something life-changing and positive. In ​March, J​ ohn Lewis

encountered the different types of suffering presented in Ricard’s excerpt. Lewis was able to

transform his suffering because of his empathy, perseverance, preaching, altruism, and by

adopting the philosophy of nonviolence. The experiences he had in the book ​March ​impacted his

activism because he spoke​ out, rebelled, and took action for himself and others in the African

American community through his determination. In today’s society, there are still many social

issues that occur, and people who are suffering. In suffering there is alchemy, people can

transform the suffering they’ve endured into fuel for change and to take action for people of

different communities.
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Works Cited

Conra D. Gist, and Karsonya Wise Whitehead. “Deconstructing Dr. Martin Luther King's ‘Letter

from a Birmingham Jail’ and the Strategy of Nonviolent Resistance.” ​Black History

Bulletin,​ vol. 76, no. 2, 2013, pp. 6–13. ​JSTOR,

https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.csun.edu/stable/24759688?seq=4#metadata_info_tab_con

tents​.

Kohen, Ari, et al. “The Making of a Hero: Cultivating Empathy, Altruism, and Heroic

Imagination.” ​Journal of Humanistic Psychology,​ vol. 59, no. 4, 2019, pp. 617–633. ​Sage

Journals,

https://journals-sagepub-com.libproxy.csun.edu/doi/full/10.1177/0022167817708064#arti

cleCitationDownloadContainer​.

Lewis, John and Andrew Aydin. ​March: Book One​. Illustrated by Nate Powell, Top Shelf

Productions, 2013.

​ ursuing Happiness: A Bedford Spotlight Reader,​

Ricard, Matthieu. "The Alchemy of Suffering"​ P

Edited by Matthew Parfit and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford/St. Martin's, 2015, pp. 35-41.