SUFFERING: LINUS AIND

SUFFERING

Many centuries passed, big mighty empires dawned and doomed, big intellectuals emerged and gone, sages and saints appeared and disappeared yet the question of “Why Suffering?” remains unanswered and a big mystery. What is suffering? In simple words, “it is qualified as physical, emotional or mental agony and pain that comes in all degrees of intensity, from mild to intolerable in diverse manners, and often dramatically”¹. We sometimes ponder why a just God permits good people to suffer. We look around us, and see a world that is filled with hurt and pain. We see the torment of broken minds, the emotional turmoil of shattered relationships, and the physical anguish of hungry bellies or war torn bodies. Why so much suffering? What is the purpose of pain?

Many religions have tried to view it differently and in most cases negatively with narrow mindedness in order to get some meaning out of it as it plays a very important role in religion. People often believe that the worst form of evil is extreme suffering,

The 'Four Noble Truths' of Buddhism are about dukkha, a term usually translated as suffering. They state (1) the nature of suffering, (2) its cause, (3) its cessation, and (4) the way leading to its cessation (which is the Noble Eightfold Path)². Buddhism considers liberation from suffering to attaining nirvana.

Hinduism holds that “Suffering follows naturally from personal negative behaviors in one’s current life or in a past life (karma).One must accept suffering as a just consequence and as an opportunity for spiritual progress.”³

The Bible, in the “Book of Job” reflects on the nature and meaning of suffering. Pope John Paul II writes "On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering." This meaning revolves around the notion of redemptive suffering; Roman Catholic belief that human suffering, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passionof Jesus, can remit the just punishment for one's sins or for the sins of another.”

REFLECTION:

We live in a suffering world where people in famine striken area need food; despairing people need encouragement, and outcast need a loving touch. Some say suffering is a test to our faith, to our character and to our values. It can make one better or even bitter. It can make us bitter if we jump to the wrong conclusion. It can make us better if we open our eyes to the wonders, power, wisdom and goodness that we can draw from it. Even a diamond comes out of dark dirty coal and lotus from dirty mud. Suffering transports one into a special world where no one else can follow.

The basic question for human beings is then “How should we understand this suffering which is a mystery. However as a Christian I ought to understand suffering as Jesus understood with a meaning and purpose. "Despair is suffering without meaning." writes Viktor Frankl. And so we ought to discover meaning and purpose behind all our sufferings which will provide motivation to bear. As in the words of Viktor Frankl, “He who has a “why” to live can bear almost anyhow”⁴. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it," says Helen Keller. I feel we have to look at suffering in a positive attitude which for sure is the hard way and see what it offers?

I think suffering makes our life interesting otherwise a suffering-free state of false bliss life that would leave each and all of us as bored dilettantes living a sterile and stupid life. That is, we can call something 'life' which has challenges, repentances, learning, growing, all of which only comes through trial, error, taking part, success, pain, loss, and suffering. “Suffering grabs you and drags you to the place where you discover how much you need God's grace because you have no power to do otherwise, and sometimes because it just works best that way”⁵. Sufferings are the exchanges of love which can only be made on the cross”⁶. I think it all depends how one responds to suffering because for some it isn’t suffering but just love.

FOOTNOTES

1 Siu Ralph G.H. Panetics − The Study of the Infliction of Suffering, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 28 No. 3, Summer 1988, p. 87.

2 I. B. Horner, The Living Thoughts of Gotama the Buddha. London: Cassell, 1948, p. 109.

3 Thomas J. Hopkins, The Hindu Religious Tradition. Encino, Calif.: Dickenson, 1971, p. 224.

4 Viktor Frankl, Man Search for Meaning, New Delhi: CMG, 1990, p. 93.

5 Harold, Schweizer, Suffering and the Remedy of Art. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, 1997, p. 86.

6 Rose John Sunday Homilies, Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2005, p. 102.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Hopkins, Thomas J. The Hindu Religious Tradition. Encino, Calif.: Dickenson, 1971.

Horner, I. B., The Living Thoughts of Gotama the Buddha. London: Cassell, 1948.

Iain Wilkinson, Suffering - A Sociological Introduction, Polity Press, 2005

Kraemer, David. Responses to Suffering in Classical Rabbinic Literature. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Ralph G.H., Siu, Panetics- The Study of the Infliction of Suffering, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 28 No. 3, Summer, 1988.

John, Rose Sunday Homilies, Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2005

Schweizer, Harold, Suffering and the remedy of art. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, 1997.

Frankl, Viktor Man Search for Meaning, New Delhi: CMG, 1990.

DIVINE AND HUMAN RELATEDNESS: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES: ANTO. I

DIVINE AND HUMAN RELATEDNESS: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES

GOOD AND EVIL

1. INTRODUCTION:

Good is complete, knowable and as the ideal. According to St. Augustine evil is the privation of goodness. A good person has a positive approach about the things he or she enjoys. Evil diminishes or distorts the creative atmosphere of the cosmos. Evil is a human invariant like eating, talking, and thinking, being sad or happy. Human beings flee from evil, try to expel it and try to put it out of sight. Human action which is against humanness is evil. God takes the initiative to avoid evil in the life of human persons.¹

2. GOOD AND EVIL IN SOCIETY:

Good persons have spiritual and inner desire to do good to others. There are so many people who work for the betterment of the people. For ex. Missionaries of Charity. A person’s attitude decides his or her actions. There are natural evil and moral evil in the society. The natural evils are flood and other natural calamities like cyclones which cause damage to human persons. Moral evils are which affect human persons ethically for Ex. Prostitution, Euthanasia and so on. Human persons are forced to undergo certain sufferings. Ex. Bomb blasts.

3. CONTEXT:

3. ANALYSIS OF GOOD AND EVIL:

Good can mean what is intrinsically good, “good itself”,² and not good merely because it produces something else like health. Intrinsic goods are things that we seek more for them than as a means toward anything else. For example, we enjoy a painting, a beautiful piece of music, a ball game, an enlightening talk and so on. It is possible to admire them for what they are, because there is something about them that attracts us and gives us the sense that we are in contact with genuinely real and valuable. Something can be good because the intellect is drawn to it as distinct object of knowledge. God fulfills the idea of God. Good God has a special relation to morality. God has everything he should have might have a type of goodness that we cannot classify as moral. The evil human persons inflict on each other and the evil that they suffer as inhabitants of this biological and physical world. Most of the human persons agree that hurt each other more than is necessary, without the good cause and without proper concern for others.

4. GOOD AND EVIL IN RELIGION:

Good rules over the world. God is the master of everything. Good deeds are well appreciated. Evil is the cause of human wants and needs. In the name of God people do evil activities. Some religious organizations overpower the religious practices. God becomes the centre for religious influences. It is because of fundamental behaviour people fight one another and piece does not prevail in the world. Evil can exist only if God wills or allows it. But if he wills or allows it, this means that he cannot prevent it, because he is not omnipotent, or that he does not want to prevent it, because he is not infinitely good. Every being is good. Therefore evil cannot be a being, it must be the absence of some being. Not every absence of being is evil. Evil is the absence of some good, some perfection in a being which should possess it; it is a privation. The evil whose occurrence shocks the human mind most is suffering. The appalling amount of suffering which occurred, for instance, in the Nazi concentration and extermination camps cannot, in some people’s minds, be reconciled with the existence of an almighty and infinitely good. Are pain and suffering, too a mere absence or privation? They are not. They are the repercussion, within a sensibility or consciousness, of some evil. For example when a child is slowly dying incurable pain from inseparable cancer, it sounds callous to speak of his or her pain and that of his or her distraught parents as of a mere privation; yet it is the consequence of privation and it would disappear if the absent good , the child’s health , were to be restored.

There is moral evil whenever there is a human person’s free will lacks its right orientation, refuses to heed the call of duty or moral obligation. Whenever a human person yields to greed, pride, ambition, hatred, cruelty, jealousy etc he or she performs a positive act which lacks an essential feature of all free acts, refers to human person’s ultimate end.

5. GOOD AND EVIL IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY:

ST.IREANAEUS:

St. Irenaeus distinguished two stages of the creation of the human race. I n the first stage human beings were brought to an existence as intelligent animals endowed with morality and spiritual development. They were not the perfect pre-fallen Adam and Eve of the Augustinian tradition, but immature creatures, at the beginning of a long process of growth. In the second stage of their creation, which is now taking place, they are gradually being transformed through their own free responses from human animals into “children of God.” Human freedom plays a vital role in the creation of human persons. Human goodness that has come about through the making of free and responsible choices, in situations of real difficulty and temptation, is intrinsically more valuable. There is an argument about good and evil that is God’s goodness and Human person’s knowledge. Human situation is a tension between the natural selfishness and morality and religion. There is a genuine freedom in relation to one’s maker. God’s purpose is not to construct a paradise. Human persons are created in the direst presence of God. Since God is good and loving, his creatures are also good.³

5.1. ST.AUGUSTINE:

Augustine’s response includes both philosophical and theological strands. The main philosophical position is the idea of the negative or privative nature of evil. Augustine holds firmly to the Hebrew-Christian conviction that the universe is good that is to say; it is the creation of a good God for a good purpose. There are, according to Augustine, higher and lower, greater and lesser goods in immense abundance and variety. Augustine based his arguments on the Bible; especially the accounts of the Creation and the Fall in Genesis. His influential theodicy rests upon two major assumptions. Evil did not come from God, since God’s creation was faultless and perfect. Evil having come from elsewhere, God is justified in allowing it to stay. For Augustine God is the ultimate and infinite in goodness and power. Hence there is no other equal and God is not the direct

5.2. JEAN PAUL SARTRE:

Sartrean existentialism is a philosophy that may be defined as “existence precedes essence.”For Sartre there is no God for human persons by nature, to fashion them according to a design, conception, or essence A human person simply happens to exist, happens to turn up, suddenly makes an appearance. There is no God to conceive a human person .Human person is what he or she thinks of himself or herself. Human persons are condemned to be free. In we are a freedom which chooses, but we do not choose to be free. Individual choices have far reaching consequences. Human person is responsible not only for himself but for others as well, because by his or her choices he or she chooses all men. Sartre points out that “Hell is other people.”Human person gives life worth with regard to good and evil. Values like good and evil are constantly in the making, as human persons are continuously in the making. There is no God to direct human persons. Hence human person, whose nature is freedom, completely undetermined, must make his or her own decisions. If they want to do good for others or evil, it is their own choice to decide. ⁴

6. GOOD AND EVIL IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIONS:

HINDUISM:

Dharma, a concept central to Hinduism, has many meanings including ‘duty’ righteousness and ‘ethics.’ There is a dharma common to all humanity that is evident in such virtues as non-violence, compassion and generosity. There is also a dharma specific to one’s caste and station in life, and another that leads to liberation from the cycle of life and death. Dharma means one’s own duty according to one’s caste, social class, or stage of life; a code of conduct which embraces, but is not limited to, regulations involving marriage, food and religious observance.

The word ‘dharma’ is derived from the word dhr, signifies duty. Dharma means ‘that which is established ‘steadfast decree.’ Spiritually considering dharma means ‘duty. The first verse of the Gita begins with the words dharma-khestra( a field of dharma)-(righteousness). Krishna, as the personal God, is the basis of righteousness itself and the ground of all morality according to the teaching in the Gita. Moreover, Krishna drew Arjuna’s attention to the purpose of his Avatara, which was to set up the law of righteousness (dharma) and to destroy the evil-doers. This dharma includes the establishment of justice and righteousness in one’s personal life.

A selfless person is an altruist. He or she is endowed with qualities like charity, sacrifice, compassion, truthfulness, honesty, self-discipline, tranquility, non- violence and pursuit of spiritual knowledge. These qualities lead to eventual liberation of the soul from bondage of birth and death. A selfish person is highly materialistic. He is boastful, arrogant, vainful, lustful, harsh, rebellious, malicious, deluded, and full of anger and hypocrisy. He lacks ethical values and faith in God. He or she is motivated only by desires. He or she believes in “eat, drink and make merry.”He or she accumulates wealth even by corrupt means. Such mean are born again and again in materialistic families and gradually they descend to the lowest state of life. They are gateways to hell and they lead to eventual destruction of a man possessed by them. These vices should be therefore curbed.

The Bhagavad Gita clearly presents Sri Krishna as the one who takes the side of the forces of dharma to fight against the powers of adharma. While dharmic forces promote wholeness and well-being in the universe, forces cause degeneration and destruction. The battle of Kurushetra is a battle for establishing the reign of dharma. The Lord Krishna says that Arjuna is only an instrument in the hand of God in destroying dharma. ⁵

6.1. JAINISM:

The escape of Jiva from matter is liberation according to Jain philosophy. There are three jewels in Jain philosophy. They are right faith, right knowledge, and right character. All these three jewels talk about the goodness of human persons. There is no pain, old age; fatigue and discomfort. There are right rules of life in Jainism. The principle of non-violence is one of the things which is followed by the Jains. They do not kill animals and so they respect the creatures.

6.2. BUDDHISM:

Peace is central to Buddhism. Righteousness and harmony should go hand in hand. Buddha's teaching on karma is vast.

1. Do not kill.

2. Do not steal.

3. Do not engage in sexual misconduct.

4. Do not lie.

5. Do not use intoxicants.

There are eight fold things in Buddhism. They are Right conception, right view, right speech, right effort, right mindfulness, right livelihood and right concentration. The important characteristics of the eight fold paths are that it is the middle of the moral life as well as middle way. The noble eight fold path is the moral life that serves as a bridge between the life of virtues and ultimate freedom. Buddhism teaches human persons are responsible for their lives. A human person can discover how to regulate his or her life experience and hi s or her behavior can actually shape their future life circumstances. Suffering need not always involve evil in Buddhism. Buddha himself suffered and suffering exists.

6.3. SIKHISM:

Self-control in itself is a great virtue, because the mind usually keeps brooding on evil. Control over organs of action- Karam Indries is really necessary. Truth occupies a place among the virtues recommend by the gurus. Truth- righteousness, honesty, justice, impartiality and fair play are one of the components of virtues. Contentment is another virtue. A contend minds is free from ambition, envy, greed and jealousy. Patience is another quality which a Sikh ought to cultivate. It gives courage to put up bravely with all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Another great virtue is service. It is service of all types of men, without distinction of caste and creed. Sweetness and humility are the essence of all goodness and virtue. Everything is created by God, even evil. But what we regard as evil has a special purpose to serve. Evil is neither Satan nor any demon. The purpose of evil is to test the character of human person. According to Guru Nanak “suffering the remedy and comfort is a disease.” Human person is liable to succumb to temptation. The greater the faith, the greater the evil to challenge it, Great men have faced evil and tyranny- whether in the form of a prosecutor or a traitor or one’s kith and kin in order to prove to evil than to good. Human persons are slow to take virtue but swift to succumb vice. Evil actions arise out of human person’s evil thinking, due to lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride. Evil actions take the form of lying, drinking, gambling, begging and back-biting. Egoism is the greatest evil because it creates a wall between human persons and the creator. Violence is a curse. ⁶

7. SEMATIC RELIGIONS:

7.1. JUDAISM:

In Judaism there is no fixed creed that all Jews must believe completely. The text of real Jewishness is not intellectual but ethical; it is not how one thinks, but how one lives within himself or herself and with others that counts. Righteousness is the first requirement. There are Ten Commandments in Judaism which help all people to do good to others. These commandments convey obedience and loyal to Yahweh and decent behaviour towards members of the community. Judaism advocates seeking good and not evil. Evil is not fulfilling God's will. God created evil inclination called Satan.

7.2. CHRISTIANITY:

God is love and He is good. Human persons do evil things and it is because of their mistake. Evil helps human persons to go away from God and others. God is kind and gentle and He does not punish human persons. He is a forgiving God. Human persons do evil because of their wickedness. God allows human persons free. The fall of the Adam and Eve shows that God allows freedom to human persons to enjoy but human persons do follow the right path.

8. CHALLENGES:

8.1. ATHEISM:

Good and evil lead to moral judgments. People become victims in the name of religion. God becomes the centre of attraction and some fundamentalists do atrocities in the name of religion. Human persons are judged not by their deeds but by their actions. Science is a reaction against the violence of religious fanaticism bred by the passions and dark vital nature of the so called religious men and women. Human persons sometimes do think about others for the sake of God and religion. In this bargain innocent people suffer and they lose their lives. Religion is a human person’s aspiration to transcendence. There is a God who is alienated by Marx. God is eliminated by human persons .Marx’s existence of God is entirely different from other people’s God. Marx is genuinely atheistic since he denies the real existence of a supremely perfect being distinct from the finite world. He is an atheistic not only because God is unreal to him but also because he thinks acceptance of God alienates a human person from him. It is because of unjust social structures people go away from God. Human persons do want the God who oppress otheres.

8.2. HUMAN FREEDOM:

God is both infinitely good and omnipotent. Free will is the possibility of doing either good or bad. Human freedom is the very basis of morality. Human person is free to choose his or her life .God is not responsible for moral evils. Ex. Prostitution and Rape. God does not encourage human persons to do evil or good. It is because of human freedom, human persons do such evil things. Human persons create wrong choices. Most of the time, we human persons blame God for our wrongdoings. God is not responsible for our freedom to act. Human persons create wrong choices. They are the masters of their lives. When a human person is controlled by external forces, he or she is independent. God gives freedom to choose the best possibility in order to do good.⁷ According to Antony Flow “a freedom which is hardly genuine, but rather subject to determinism. Flew contends that even though a human action is predictable, fore knowable, and explainable in terms of caused causes, it can still be free”. An action can be both freely chosen and fully determined by caused causes. God could have arranged things such that human persons are free but choose what is morally right arises from the Flews’ use of the difference between natural and heavenly status. Human goodness implies that human persons are still exposed to temptation capable of sin and yet be protected by God from sin. If this is possible, then all powerful God should be able to do it, and if he does not do it then he is not good.

8.3. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OTHER:

The other is the self revelation and the other belongs to me. There is a communication between God and the other. Good and evil cannot be ideal to human persons. Evil doers are not punished. In the name of religion human persons do many atrocities. E.g. Jihad and Crusades. Human persons blame God for their attitudes. Goodness is neglected because of the encouragement of the evil deeds. The amount of evil in the world is increasing day by day. People want to have peace and harmony in the world. Human persons are sometimes considered as objects.

8.4. SUFFERING WITH HUMANITY:

Evil is contrary to God's will. There are physical, all mental suffering and moral wickedness in human persons. Poverty, oppression, persecution, war and all injustice, indignity and inequality are in human persons. There are emotional and moral factors which seated both in the individual and in the social element. People suffer because of their evil attitudes and their inhuman behavior . Good and evil are part and parcel of humanity.

8.4. SOCIAL STRUCTURES:

Social structures pay a vital role in human lives. Caste system is one of the major things in society. There are good and evil things which happen in the lives of human persons. It is because of caste system human persons are divided into communities. Evil activities come in a way of hindrance to society. Human persons challenge one another in the name of caste and creed. The unjust social structure makes people understand that God is neglected. Divine element is questioned. Human persons fight one another in the name of caste. It is a challenge for human persons not to do evil. The poor are afflicted and they are oppressed in the name of caste. Human persons do not think that caste is a given label in the human society. Human persons are thrown into the world. It is not their fault to be born into this world. Evil activities happen in society because of social structures. God is not responsible for human persons’ act and unjust social orders. It is because of ethnicity, language, colour and creed people fight among themselves. There are so many ethnic clashes happening in our country. Human persons are not considered as real human beings. Goodness is neglected and evil is appreciated in this case. Human persons are mutilated and destroyed because of their ethnic background. There is a separation from the other. The other is seen as a rival in the society. Evil comes from different forms. Caste system is part of it.

8.5 LACK OF COUORGE:

Human persons lack courage with regard to goodness. People want to do good but their circumstances impel them to do evil activities.

9. RESPONSES:

The response is to make human persons responsible for their own actions. Human persons can be given freedom to act according their situations. God has given knowledge to human persons in order to behave in a right way. Human persons are communion beings. It is to be in communion with other human person and Divine, human persons can bring a change in the world. The I-Thou relationship should be maintained among human persons. Respect for individuals is to be maintained. Human persons are precious and each and every human person is important in the world and so we have to treat human persons not as objects but as subjects. In this way we can bring some progress in the world. We, human persons have to own up the responsibility that God is not responsible for our mistakes. We are responsible for ourselves. It is our freedom to choose .God should have created human persons with less freedom so that we could not betray torture, humiliate, rape and murder our fellow human persons. The possibility of waging war is one of these capacities that a good and omnipotent God should have withheld. We human persons have to own up the responsibility. God is our creator and he has given human persons responsibility to be good or bad. Each and every person has got freedom and responsibility to lead his or her life. We also need to accept our givenness. We are thrown into the world and so we are unique persons. We cannot change our identity as persons. Since we are rational beings, we have to make use of our reason and faith. We are images and likeness of God. Human persons have faith in God and God has given us reason to understand the situations of life. Our reason helps us to understand our faith too. Belief in the divine makes us aware that He has given us the reason to choose good and evil. We should allow God to for certain things not human persons.

10. CONCLUSION:

In the name of religions human persons do atrocities. Human relations are broken. God allows human persons to be one with others. Good is necessary for a society. God is good and He does not identify himself in evil activities. Human persons are to be blamed for their own evil attitudes. Evil is not necessary for a society. Human persons are torn into pieces because of disharmony in the world.

FOOTNOTES

1 Yardan, L. John, God and the challenge of Evil, The council for Research values and philosophy, 2001.

2 Hick, John, Philosophy of Religion, Pentice press, 1998.

3 Ibid p42.

4 Warnock,Mary, Existentialist Ethics, Macmillan,London,1967

5 Coogan,D. Micheal, Eastern Religions,Duncan Baird Publications,2005.

6 Singh,Avtar, Ethics of the Sikhs, Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala,1983.

7 Dr.Vatsyayan, Philosophy and Physcology of Religion, Kendar Nath Ram Nath publishers, Merut, 1975.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Siwek, Paul S.J, The Philosophy of Evil, The Ronald Press Company, Newyork, 1951.

2. Plantinga, Alvin, God, Freedom and Evil, William B.Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1974.

3. Jayakumar, Stanley, Jnanodaya journal of philosophy, 2010.

4. Schuurman, Henry, Philosophy of Religion, 1990.

5. Hick, .H. John, Philosophy of Religion, Princeton Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi,1988.

6. Davis .T. Stephen, Encountering Evil, Live options in Theodicy, T& T Clark, Edinburgh, 1981.

7. Coogan, D.Marcel, Eastern Religions, Duncan Baird Publications, 2005.

8. Landaw, Jonathan, Buddhism for Dummies, Wiley India Private Limited, 2007.

9. Clark, Malcolm, Islam for Dummies, Wiley India Private Limited, 2007.

10. Singh, Avtar, Ethics of the Sikh, Publication Bureau, Punjabi University, Patiala, 1983.

11. Sharma, Arvind, A Jaina Perspective on the philosophy of Religion, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers pvt, Ltd, 2001.

Blood Components, Properties, Groups, Transfusion

Blood

(A study on Blood Components, Properties, Groups, Transfusion)

Can human being or animals live without blood? Why do parents encourage their children to take green vegetables? This are often asked questions and easily answered questions. The core of the questions and encouragements is Blood. No human being or animals can ever live without blood. Parents or doctors encourage us to take green vegetables so that we may get the required blood for our body. Blood is the most important fluid in human body. Without blood no human being or animals will ever live. Blood is the fluid which circulates in the principal vascular system of animals, carrying nourishment to all parts of the body, and bringing away waste products to be excreted. The fluid that carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and carries waste products away is pumped by the heart to different parts of the body. Blood is circulated around the body through blood vessels throughout our body. Blood keeps our body temperature steady by carrying excess heat from regions of the body to the skin where it can be dissipated. It also fights infection and carries chemicals that regulate many body functions. Blood is composed of a yellowish fluid, called plasma, in which are suspended the millions of cells that constitute 45% by volume of whole blood. A cubic millimetre of human blood contains about 5 million red blood cells, or erythrocytes; 5,000 to 10,000 white blood cells or leukocytes; and 200,000 to 300,000 platelets or thrombocytes. The blood also carries many salts and organic substances in solution in the blood plasma. Study revealed that the volume of blood in an average adult is varying from 4.7 – 5 liters. People who live at high altitudes, where the air contains less oxygen, may have up to 1.9 liters more blood than people who live in low altitude regions. The extra blood delivers additional oxygen to body cells.

1. Blood Components

Human being is a unique being. The human body produces the different type of blood components as per the requirement of the body. Blood plays a vital role in our immune system. It is a highly specialized tissue composed of many different kinds of components. Blood also contained antibiotic components to fight against diseases and bacterial infections. The various components of blood are;

1. Plasma

Plasma is the relatively clear, yellow tinted water (92+%), sugar, fat, protein and salt solution which carries the red cells, white cells, platelets, and some other chemicals. Plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended. Normally, 55% of our blood's volume is made up of plasma. About 95% of it consists of water. As the heart pumps blood to cells throughout the body, plasma brings nourishment to them and removes the waste products of metabolism. Plasma also contains blood clotting factors, sugars, lipids, vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes, antibodies, and other proteins. Plasma defends the body against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and cancer cells, and clotting factors, which control bleeding.

Plasma circulation also plays a role in regulating body temperature by carrying heat generated in core body tissues through areas that lose heat more readily, such as the arms, legs, and head.

2. Red cells

Red cells normally make up 40-50% of the total blood volume. The red colour of blood is primarily due to oxygenated red cells. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a protein that gives blood its red colour and enables it to carry oxygen from the lungs and deliver it to all body tissues and they take away carbon dioxide. Each red cell has about 270,000,000 iron-rich haemoglobin molecules. When the number of red blood cells is too low (anaemia), blood carries less oxygen, and fatigue and weakness develop. When the number of red blood cells is too high (polycythemia), blood can become too thick, which may cause the blood to clot more easily and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

3. White Blood Cells

White blood cells (also called leukocytes) are fewer in numbers than red blood cells, with a ratio of about 1 white blood cell to every 600 to 700 red blood cells. White blood cells are responsible primarily for defending the body against infection. The white blood cells function like an army, dispersed throughout the body but ready at a moment's notice to gather and fight off an invading organism. White blood cells accomplish this by engulfing and digesting organisms and by producing antibodies that attach to organisms so that they can be more easily destroyed. When the number of white blood cells is too low (leucopoenia), infections are more likely to occur.

There are five main types of white blood cells they are

a. Neutrophils,

It is the most numerous types, help protect the body against infections by killing and ingesting bacteria and fungi and by ingesting foreign debris.

b. Lymphocytes

A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system. There are three main types, they are, (i) Natural killer cells, is a white blood cell type that play a major role to protect against viral infections and can detect and destroy some cancer cells. (ii) T cells and B cells, T cells (Thymus cells) and B cells (bone cells) are the major cellular components of the adaptive immune response. The function of T cells and B cells is to recognize specific “non-self” antigens, during a process known as antigen presentation. Once they have identified an invader, the cells generate specific responses that are tailored to maximally eliminate specific pathogens or pathogen infected cells.

c. Monocytes

It is a type of white blood Cell that ingest dead or damaged cells and help defend against many infectious organisms. Monocytes are produced by the bone marrow from haematopoietic stem cell precursors called monoblasts.

d. Eosinophils

It is a white blood cell type that kill parasites, destroy cancer cells, and are involved in allergic responses.They are found in the medulla and the junction between the cortex and medulla of the thymus, in the lower gastrointestinal tract, ovary, and in the uterus.

e. Basophils

Basophil granulocytes, sometimes referred to as basophils, are the least common of the granulocytes, representing about 0.01% to 0.3% of circulating white blood cells.Basophils appear in many specific kinds of inflammatory reactions, particularly those that cause allergic symptoms.

4. Platelets

Platelets (also called thrombocytes) are cell-like particles that are smaller than red or white blood cells. Platelets are fewer in number than red blood cells, with a ratio of about 1 platelet to every 20 red blood cells. Platelets help in the clotting process by gathering at a bleeding site and clumping together to form a plug that help to seal the blood vessel. At the same time, they release substances that help promote further clotting. When the number of platelets is too low (thrombocytopenia), bruising and abnormal bleeding become more likely. When the number of platelets is too high (thrombocythemia), blood may clot excessively, producing a stroke or heart attack.

5. Other components

There are several other components of blood they are are Water, Acetoacetate, Acetone, denosine triphosphate, phosphorus, Adrenocorticotrophic hormone, Alanine, Albumin, Aluminum, Aldosterone, Bile acids, Bilirubin, Biotin, Bromide, Cadmium, Calcitonin, Calcium, Carbon dioxide, Cephalin, Dopamine, Ergothioneine, Erythropoietin, Estradiol, Estriol, Estrogen, Estrone, Ethanol, Ferritin, Fluoride, Galactose, Gastrin, Globulin, Glucosamine, Glucose , Glycogen, Hexosephosphate, Histidine, Insulin, Isoleucine, Lead, Lecithin, Leptin, Magnesium, Manganese, Methyl guanidine, Mucoproteins, Norepinephrine, Ornithine, Oxytocin, Pancreatic polypeptide, Phenylalanine, Phospholipid, Relaxin, Secretin, Serotonin, Succinic acid, Taurine, Thiocyanate, Uric acid, Valine, Vasopressin, Zinc

2. Properties of Blood

Our bodies consist of many active cells that need a continuous supply of nutrients and oxygen. Metabolic waste products need to be removed from the cells to maintain a stable cellular environment. Blood is the primary transport medium that is responsible for meeting these cellular demands. Materials transported by the blood include nutrients, waste products, gases, and hormones. The blood helps to regulate the fluid and electrolyte balance, acid base balance, and the body temperature. Protection against pathogens is provided by white blood cells, and the clotting mechanism prevents excessive loss of blood after injuries.

Physical Properties of Blood.

The Average adult has a blood volume of approximately 5 liters, which composes about 8% of the body's weight. Osmolality of blood is 275-295 milliosmoles per kg. Plasma constitutes approximately 55% of blood's volume. Plasma Composition: 90% Water, 8% Protein, 0.9% Inorganic Salts and include,Sodium 135-146 mM, Potassium 3.5-5.2 mM, Calcium 2.1-2.7 mM, Carbonate 23-31 mM, Phosphate 0.7-1.4 mM, 1.1% organic substances. It is estimated that plasma may contain as many as 40,000 different proteins from about 500 gene products. Approximately 1,000 proteins have been detected. Plasma contains 50-70 mg of protein per ml.

3. Blood Groups

Blood group is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system. The blood group we belong to depend on what you have inherited from our parents. There are more than 20 genetically determined blood group systems known today, but the AB0 and Rh systems are the most important ones used for blood transfusions. Not all blood groups are compatible with each other. Mixing incompatible blood groups leads to blood clumping or agglutination, which is dangerous for individuals. A total of 30 human blood group systems are now recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), over 600 different blood-group antigens have been found, but many of these are very rare and/or are mainly found in certain ethnic groups

ABO blood group system

The ABO system is the most important blood-group system in human-blood transfusion. According to the AB0 blood group system there are four different kinds of blood groups: A, B, AB or 0. Let us discuss it below;

Blood group A

If you belong to the blood group A, you have A antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and B antibodies in your blood plasma.

Blood group B

If you belong to the blood group B, you have B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and A antibodies in your blood plasma.

Blood group AB

If you belong to the blood group AB, you have both A and B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells and no A or B antibodies at all in your blood plasma.

Blood group 0

If you belong to the blood group 0 (null), you have neither A or B antigens on the surface of your red blood cells but you have both A and B antibodies in your blood plasma.

Rh factor blood grouping system

Many people also have a so called Rh factor on the red blood cell's surface. The Rh system is the second most significant blood-group system in human-blood transfusion with currently 50 antigens. The most significant Rh antigen is the D antigen, because it is the most likely to provoke an immune system response.A person with Rh- blood does not have Rh antibodies naturally in the blood plasma (as one can have A or B antibodies, for instance). But a person with Rh- blood can develop Rh antibodies in the blood plasma if he or she receives blood from a person with Rh+ blood, whose Rh antigens can trigger the production of Rh antibodies. A person with Rh+ blood can receive blood from a person with Rh- blood without any problems.

4. Blood transfusion

Blood Transfusion is the process of transferring relevant blood from one person (donor) into another person's bloodstream (recipient).Blood transfusions are done to replace blood lost during surgery or due to a serious injury. A transfusion also may be done if your body can't make blood properly because of an illness. The transfusion will work if a person who is going to receive blood has a blood group that doesn't have any antibodies against the donor blood's antigens. But if a person who is going to receive blood has antibodies matching the donor blood's antigens, a severe acute haemolytic reaction with haemolysis (RBC destruction), renal failure and shock is likely to occur, and death is a possibility. You can always give A blood to persons with blood group A, B blood to a person with blood group B and so on. But in some cases you can receive blood with another type of blood group, or donate blood to a person with another kind of blood group. People with blood group 0 Rh - are called "universal donors" and people with blood group AB Rh+ are called "universal receivers."Rh+ blood can never be given to someone with Rh - blood, but the other way around works. Blood can be provided from two sources: autologous blood (using your own blood) or donor blood (using someone else's blood). Autologous blood (using your own blood) includes; Pre-operative donation: donating your own blood before surgery, Intra-operative autologous transfusion: recycling your blood during surgery. Blood lost during surgery is filtered, and put back into your body during surgery. This can be done in emergency and elective surgeries, Post-operative autologous transfusion: recycling your blood after surgery. Blood lost after surgery is collected, filtered and returned to your body, Hemodilution: donating your own blood during surgery. Immediately before surgery, some of your blood is taken and replaced with IV fluids. After surgery, your blood is filtered and returned to you. This is done only for elective surgeries, Apheresis: donating you own platelets and plasma. Before surgery, your platelets and plasma, which help stop bleeding, are withdrawn, filtered and returned to you when you need it later. This can be done only for elective surgeries.

5. My Assimilation on the course ‘Basic Science’

We live amidst science. Whether we eat, drink, playing dancing, talking or sleeping the laws of science comes into operation. From birth to death consciously or unconsciously we continuously use science. It is said “Science is a knowledge seeking enterprises”, but for me it is not just knowledge seeking but it knows ourselves our way of live. Science is an integral part of our civilization. It is essential to give a scientific perspective of the universe, to help scientific attitude, to acquire knowledge. Science is a specific well built system with ideas and methods. Science is a very important part of the world cultures of the world culture which influence the people in very decisive and deep way. Science is not a mere subject to be studied; it is something more because everything in the universe is governed in one way or the other by scientific laws. Not knowing at least the basic knowledge of science would be foolish and would not be fair for any person because it is part and parcel of life.

The course 'Basic Science' sound very silly for philosophy students who have done basic science before. It sounds as if we are being treated like school children. Isn't it a pessimistic way of thinking? St. Ignatius of Loyola said that repetition is always good. Heraclitus said everything is in flux, nothing is fixed. Having the course basic science once again is a good thing because we look at the subject from different perspective. The concepts which we have simply memorised during our scholld days are now becoming clear. Our thinking pattern has changed and so studying Basic science at present stage made us not to only listen passively but involve ourselves actively because the How, Why, Where, When will keep haunting our minds. NO learning or studying is a waste of time at any stage of life.

The course basic sciences have broadened my way of looking at things. I have understood better the different theories and mechanism about light, heat, force, Newton's law of motion, matter and about our human body. In the beginning I felt a little boring but later i enjoyed the class> I really appreciate the creativity and the technique which Father Stephen Jeyard arranged. Some o the videos clippings were really good. Though I have read, studied, and attended seminars, yet I have never got something precise a lucid about our human reproductive system. It was really good. Previously I had seen picture about semen and I was thinking that they are worms but my wrong perception is not rectifies. My perception about women and about child birth too has change.

The combination of lecture, chart and videos really made the class livelier and it really help to record into our memory and understand it better. The models which were brought in the class like the ' model of the earth moving around the sun' is really unique. It makes us curious to listen and enjoy seeing the models. I only regret little bit because we did not get an opportunity to touch and experiment.

Ignoring science in philosophy will not help a person to understand ourselves better. Basic science is a key for cosmology, Science and religion and much more is a key for philosophers to build up a better understanding of God, Cosmos and human being. It helps us to have a better understanding and better relationship with men and women. Basic science helps philosophers to be active participant in whatever we see or do and not to be just a passive listener or a viewer. From Basic Science we not only get information but we become more humane. We rethink, rebuilt and renew our relationship with God, Cosmos and Human beings.

Bibliography

1. O'Neil Dennis: “Blood Components,” n.d.,

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood

3. Merk Sharp and Dolme Corp: “Components of Blood “ n.d.,

Suffering Leads to Happiness: Shaining

Suffering Leads to Happiness

God is the only being that existed, exist and will exist. Creation is a continuous process and everything in the world is in the process of becoming. Life is a mystery. What we are is God's gift to us and what we become is our gift to God. Every living being unveils something new till their death. Human beings are co- creators and co- explorers of the world. Every living being have their beginning and their end. Human beings have a beginning through birth and end through death. As long as human beings are caught in the cycle of birth and death, they have no escape from suffering. Suffering is part and parcel of life so no one can escape from suffering in the journey here on earth. But what is suffering? The word Suffering is derived from a Greek word ‘pathos’, which means to suffer, disease, feeling, or passion. There are mainly two types of suffering that is physical and mental suffering. Suffering is caused by Natural forces like floods, epidemics, droughts, and earthquakes; Physical or Mental forces like pain, disease, separation, anxiety; Social forces like institutionalized injustice, inequality, misunderstanding; and Metaphysical forces like unbridled desires and alienation from God. The causes of Sufferings are transmitted through personal contact, air, water, or food. Religion, Education, Yoga, Exercise, Medical check-up and other are some of the means which help people to reduce their suffering.

Why is there so much suffering in this world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do innocent people suffer? How to escape suffering? The question 'Why' of Suffering is very wide. People considered suffering as a cursed from God or people or an evil thing. They feel that suffering is like a ghost that keeps haunting them. Fear has made people to sacrifice anything in order to minimise their suffering. Karl Marx would say that religion helps the suffering people to forget their suffering for a while and be at peace with oneself. Allan Young said, “Suffering is associated with somatic pain and the moments of consciousness that accompany or anticipate this pain”.¹ Different religions give different answer to this 'Why' of suffering that is asked by thousands of people every day.

In Christianity suffering is originate due to disobedience of Adam and Eve. The disobedience is Sin and so Sin causes suffering. “Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life”.² Dr. Jacob Mathew said, “Jesus disagreed with the notion of the relationship of sin and suffering”.³ We suffer because of our own foolishness. We suffer because God wants to discipline us, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son He receives”.⁴ Suffering is not without meaning it has as its chief purpose the formation of Christ like character. In Christianity birth, suffering and death leads us to the glory of resurrection.

In Hinduism “suffering is real but not permanent and it is caused by Karma”.⁵ It is caused by faulty thinking, perspectives, beliefs and attitude. Karma has both bad and good effects. Good Karma has good effects and bad Karma have bad effects. Bad Karma leads to suffering and people will continue to suffer until they attain liberation.

Suffering in Islam is based on the fundamental notion of the imperfection of human life. “Verily, we have created man into a life of pain, toil and trial, Verily unto God we belong and verily unto him we shall return”.(Quran 90:4). Suffering has a purpose in Islam; it tests our faith and corrects our unbelief.

Buddhism diagnosis that human condition begins with the observation that life is suffering (Dukkha); and existence is pain. Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, diseases is suffering, death is suffering, union with the unpleasant is suffering, the separation from the pleasant is suffering and any craving that is unsatisfied is suffering. “The sacred truth of the origin of suffering is the craving which brings about fresh rebirth, is involved pleasurable and lust and which finds delight, ever afresh, now here and now there; namely the craving for continued existence and craving for non existence”.⁶ The ultimate end of suffering is when we reach nirvana.

In Jainism Suffering is result of past life greed, hatred and ignorance which returns as Karma. Suffering is also seen as illusory. The evil and violence inherent to this existence prove to Jains the absence of a creator God.

Sikkism pointed out five roots tat are the causes of suffering, they are kam (lust), Krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachments) and ahankar (pride, ego). When a person is able to eliminate the above causes their experience of suffering is eliminated. The Adi Granth writes “Remain in God’s Sanctuary forever and no suffering shall affect you”.

Why are people scared of suffering? Most people grumble of suffering because they took suffering in a negative way and have not realised its importance. Reactions to suffering can be positive and negative. Negative reactions to suffering will haunt a person with fear, loneliness, stress, anger, dissatisfaction, and their suffering will increase. Negative reaction will further lead a person to psychological, physical, moral, and social suffering. The psalmist said, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning".⁷ Positive reaction to suffering gives meaning to suffering. People will not feel their pain much and they will get well faster if they take suffering in a positive way. Suffering is a way to happiness in life. Suffering will reduce its sting once people realize the purpose of suffering. Some of the sufferings that can lead to happiness are:

Well being in family life:

Husband and wife have to sacrifices their ego, they have to work hard, bear the heat and cold and go through a lot of pain and struggles to keep the family united and there is safety and security.

To achieve goal in life:

A student has to put forth hard work, difficulties, struggles, pains and has to sacrifice something and endure suffering in order to focus on his goal and achieve their goal in live.

Suffering as a testimony, as a witness:

Suffering could be for testimony or witness of faith. People of Kandhamal though they suffer, yet they were full of joy because they feel that God is with them and they suffer for their faith. “As we stayed in the hill top, we could see our houses being looted and torched. We knew we could not return to the village. All this suffering is for our faith”, recounted Sanjuna a Kandhamal widow.

Betterment of the Society

Religious leaders, Social activist, NGOs, and many other people suffer persecution and ill treatment because they strife for the betterment of the society.

Closeness with God:

People fast, do penance, go to worship and pray so that they come closer of God. Suffering helps to keep down pride and to trust and depend on God. Suffering is a training tool to discipline us. “As discipline for sin to bring us back to fellowship through genuine confession (Ps. 32:3-5; 119:67)”. We suffer to manifest the life and character of Christ.

Billy Graham said, "Suffering is often the crucible in which our faith is tested. Those who successfully come through the "furnace of affliction" are the ones who emerge "like gold tried in the fire". Suffering is an instrument for better life. Suffering and death leads to the glory of resurrection, to inner peace, to union with God, dependency on God, lead to the process of fullness when we rebirth and leads to success in life. Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Suffering is an eye opener for a person to be God-cantered, other-cantered rather than being self-cantered. Suffering is done in order that we might develop our capacity and sympathy in comforting others. Suffering is therefore not to be feared or avoid but it should be accepted gracefully with perseverance. Dr. Edward Judson once said, "Suffering and success go together. If you are succeeding without suffering, it is because others before you have suffered; if you are suffering without succeeding, it is that others after you may succeed."

Footnotes

1 Allan Young; “Suffering and the origins of traumatic memory”.

2 Genesis 3:17.

3 Jacob Mathew; “Suffering - A Christian Perspective”.

4 Hebrew 12:6.

5 Swami Swarupananda; Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

6 Acharya, Buddharakkhita; Satipatthana System of Meditation.

7 Psalm 30:5.

Bibliography

1. Buddharakkhita, Acharya: Satipatthana System of Meditation, Approaches to developing Mindfulness, Bangalore Vipassana Centre, Bangalore, 1980.

2. Mathew Jacob: “Suffering - A Christian Perspective,” n.d., (accessed March 3, 2011).

3. Swarupananda Swami: Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Ashram, Kolkata,2007.

4. Young, Allan: “Suffering and the origins of traumatic memory”, Daedalus, January 1, 1996.

5. The Holy Bible, The New Revised Version Catholic Edition, Nelson Thomas for Theological Publication in India, Bangalore.