The Problem of Pain

I like to read and I read a lot. Lately, I've been reading an old chemistry textbook while I eat my cereal in the morning. A lot of what I read is not very substantive, like a Star Trek novel, children's book, or Japanese manga. Other material makes me think, or evokes emotion and spirituality, like scientific literature, the Book of Mormon, and a book I just finished, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks".

You may have noticed I'm willing to read a wide variety of material. It's all mostly for fun or curiosity, but every now and then I read something that changes the way I think about or perceive things. Along with the chemistry book, I've been reading "The Problem of Pain" by C.S. Lewis. I got to thinking about the role of pain and how we respond to physical and emotional pain after reading "Shaken Faith Syndrome", a speech by Michael Ash, and decided to give Lewis a shot. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to psychology and tend to rely on instinct when dealing with other people and stimuli, so when I read Ash's speech I felt smarter. It's such a nice feeling to read something and feel smarter afterwards. It's also nice to know there are smart people around sharing their knowledge with the world. My favorite part of his speech is the discussion of cognitive dissonance and different psychological responses to this dissonance caused by attacks, confusion, doubt and pain. He focuses primarily on dissonance in established belief cognitions. Just because I don't know the answer to someone's tough questions doesn't mean that their argument is correct. I may feel uncomfortable and I may start to doubt, but that is a normal response. We like to feel comfortable and will go to great lengths to get that comfort. Even abandon our established beliefs for novelty. However, it's nice to know that we can also respond by getting second opinions and studying matters thoroughly to find resonance. We can also pray to obtain answers from an all-knowing Heavenly Father. He wants us to find truth and will show it to us if we ask for it.

"The Problem of Pain" is Lewis' attempt to describe the purpose of suffering during this mortal existence. He doesn't include physical suffering but, rather, everything else. How do we respond when things hurt? Do we hide? Do we ignore? Do we justify and cover up? Do we try to numb ourselves with chemicals? He argues that pain exists to remind us that deity exists. The Book of Mormon and other Christian scriptures declare the same message: we tend to forget our dependence on God when things are running smoothly, but are quick to turn to prayer when things get dicey and painful.

I'm not a good writer and I apologize this post is a ramble. The bottom line is that I think more about what other people are feeling when I'm talking with them after reading these two pieces. I try to figure out if their responses are due to an inner conflict and if I'm part of that conflict. Their anger or snappy attitudes may not be my problem. It helps me to not take things personally and overreact. It helps me to resolve my own cognitive dissonances. It helps me to be happier.

The Little Aquaponics System That Could

Ephraim has been preparing for a workshop next week. It's gotten coverage on the radio and internet. This attention has caused him to reflect on the impact of his work here in American Samoa. Read Ephraim's post on Aquaculture Hub about the qualities of aquaponics. You may just want to start a system in your backyard.

September

There's a lot I could say if I wanted to catch up. Basically we went away for a month this summer, saw family, we're back, school started with a whirlwind, and we've been in that whirlwind since then. It's good. More busy than I'd like to be while living on an island. But good.

Here are some random pictures of September.

Here are the kids after school on the hammock with lil' lappy.

Ella did my hair.

Owen's dressed as a "guy".

Can you tell who's who?

Doesn't he look like Ephraim?

Matching hair again.

This was teachers-dress-like-a-superhero day. We were the only two that remembered/were aware. That could be embarrassing. Or not.

I'm SuperNerd. Ms. Tania didn't have a name. Maybe just "T".

Beach Fun

We've upped our beach attendance lately. There are a few factors:

#1-I'm not pregnant anymore.

#2-The Monson's moved in and they're pretty much family-adventure addicts, and we love them.

#3-After a month on the mainland, I have beach catching-up to do.

#4-Since I've been back, I need beach therapy more often, to cope with life here.

#5-Although some may call this our "winter," the term doesn't apply. It's hot.

So here are some picture of recent excursions.

Larsons

Fatumafuti

Two Dollar Beach

There's something about the saltwater and sand that tempers the soul.

My Birthday

I turned 33 last Wednesday. It was a nice day.

I had fun at school. They made cupcakes for me.

We went out to eat. Ella dressed me and I was heavily accessorized.

Ephraim made a chocolate cake and frosting from scratch.

A few days later, Helen of Wales watched the kids so Ephraim and I could go on a birthday hike.


Yay!

Kid History

We've been loving these. If you haven't seen Kid History yet, please do.

Molars are Big

I've had a toothache for a week. On Friday I got an appointment at the dental clinic, paid my $10, and got to see the doctor. We found which tooth was giving me troubles, and he said, Okay, let's take it out. Are you ready?

I said, What? Uh, give me an hour.

So Ephraim and I went to lunch, fed baby Linus, and returned to face my destiny.

Ephraim had horrific stories about when his wisdom teeth were removed. Stories involving cutting, digging, cracking, and lots of blood. So I was really nervous, but decided to be a big girl and get it over with.

Dr. Koroi was very reassuring. Thank heavens for local anesthesia. I couldn't feel a thing. I was bracing myself for an hour of yanking, cracking, and gushing blood. To distract myself, I started reciting and pondering the Articles of Faith of our Church. There are thirteen of them--(statements of our basic beliefs).

By the time I got to number three, "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel," the doctor was all done!

Amazing! I asked if the tooth fairy makes stops at the hospital at night, but they said no she doesn't. So I asked to take my tooth home and see if I'd have better luck there.


Wow-zer! That tooth is humongous! I'm used to my kids' itty bitty baby teeth. That monster left a huge hole in my mouth.

So today I'm sipping smoothies and potato soup. Overall, not a bad experience. For $10, I may even do it again.