In recent years, a large number of inspirational stories about the hardships and sufferings of the poor have emerged in society, trying to inspire the people at the bottom through these stories. However, a famous writer questioned this phenomenon as the most shameless, insidious, and vicious compliment in the world. This kind of inspirational story with the theme of suffering may not only fool the people at the bottom, but also has some profound problems that deserve our deep consideration.
In these stories, we often hear extreme cases such as a woman who is 8 months pregnant delivering food on a rainy night, and a grandfather who is over 80 years old picking up waste to feed his two granddaughters. These stories seem to tell us that there are more miserable people in society than we are, and that we should be content and strive for success. However, behind this lesson lies a kind of misleading for the people at the bottom.
First, suffering itself is not something to be celebrated. Suffering is a painful experience, a product of a system of poverty and injustice, not a means to success. Associating suffering with the noble and the noble is in fact an evasion of social problems and a cover for an unequal system. We cannot simply take those who are in distress as inspirational archetypes and ignore the problem of social structure.
Second, these stories can lead to a false belief that suffering is the only way to success. However, this is not the case. Suffering does not automatically lead to success, much less a goal worth pursuing. Glorifying suffering may make people mistakenly believe that only by enduring suffering can they become nobler and nobler. This concept not only downplays the problems of social structure and system, but also is a misunderstanding of the nature of human nature.
In addition, these stories may fool the people at the bottom to a certain extent. By emphasizing examples that are worse than theirs, the message conveyed by the story can easily lead to the psychological suggestion that "you are not the worst, so you have to be content and work hard". This psychological suggestion may lead people to abandon their rebellion against social injustice and choose to suffer in silence, becoming "like a donkey who has worked to death".
In the end, the audience should not try to taste the emotion from the suffering of others. This is not the original purpose of suffering, and those who suffer deeply are not here to empathize, let alone to hone their will. Suffering should be seen as a social problem, not as a tool to move others.
While reflecting on these inspirational stories, we need to pay more attention to social fairness and justice, and strive to improve social structures and systems to provide better opportunities for everyone. Suffering should not be synonymous with success, we need to build a more equal and just society where everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams, rather than dwelling in the celebration of suffering.