The Idea of Suffering and the Existence of Structural Violence

The Idea of Suffering and the Existence of Structural Violence
Authored by Paul Farmer, the reading explores the idea of suffering and the existence of structural violence. Based on the examples provided concerning the suffering of Haitians, my thought on contemporary issues has changed significantly. I have learned new ideas ranging from the hierarchical nature of suffering propagated by civil war, diseases, and poverty (Farmer, 263). The author’s ideas have helped shape my understanding of the suffering the poor endure. I learned that countries facing civil war, diseases, and poverty have a low-class population that experiences the suffering resulting from these challenges. The low-class citizens suffer through starvation and lack of services and even report a high death rate because they live in unequal societies. Such knowledge has helped me to widen my viewpoint regarding the existence of structural violence and its role in creating suffering. I now understand that suffering among people of a nation is highly inclined toward its political structure, social structure, and economic stability.
While examining the independent cases the author presents in the reading, I noted that Haiti’s poverty, diseases, and political instability were highly related to understa...