God points to the great mysteries of nature in his response to Job in the Bible. In Tree of Life, we often see shots of Sean Penn's character, who is suffering still from the loss of his brother, standing in the middle of strange or vast landscapes in which he feels and looks small. If you had to paint or picture a landscape that works as a metaphor for your own personal suffering, what would you choose--ocean, desert, glacial plain, etc.--and why?
My personal suffering would have to resemble the sight of a exploding volcano. I'm not talking about a regular, slow, and oozing volcano. I'm talking about a Mount St. Helens explosive. Most of the time, whenever I am taking on pain and suffering and it really gets to me, I just take it for a while and sit on it like a time bomb. Then, out of no where I'll explode and the top will come flying off! There isn't any warning or sign to help predict when I will unfold and let everything come out. It's probably not the best way for me to let go of things, but that's how I just do it. I'll act like everthing is fine and the next thing you know, I'm screaming at you for knocking over my drink accidentally.
ReplyDeleteAn image that describes my personal suffering would have to be the oceans movements. The waters constantly and softly ripple until it reaches its breaking point. At the breaking point of pain and sorrow, rippling waters turn into crashing waves. In times of sorrow, I find myself watching the rhythmic crashing of waves against the rough beach. It’s as if the waves are carrying my body across the sea and slamming it against the sandy and unforgiving shore. They mercilessly pound out their pain against the shore releasing their sorrows. In addition to being a metaphor for the feeling of suffering, the ocean also represents an awe that shows me how small I really am. A sense of greatness and power is what I associate with this majestic sight.
ReplyDeleteI think the best landscape I could link to my own personal suffering is the bottom of a vast ocean. Just like the ocean , my suffering surrounds me. It consumes every part of me and it wont allow me to think about anything else, the feeling is suffocating. Often, when Im suffering I feel isolated and frustrated, like no one could possibly understand what im going through or help me in any way, just like I would feel if I was sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor. Coming to terms with my suffering is quite the process and usually it takes me an awful lot of time and energy to do so, just like swimming through miles of ocean to reach the surface would.
ReplyDeleteMy suffering reminds me of a lake with a thin sheet of ice over the top. From far out, the lake looks frozen solid. From close up the lake also appears solid. However, once you are next to the frozen lake you can see the fragile thin line of ice. And on top of that ice would be me. I would be inching by, hoping that the next step I take won't break that thin line. I walk on top of my suffering, avoiding it while I can. But the more time I spend walking along the frozen surface, the weaker the surface becomes. I understand it's inevitable that I will fall through eventually, but I still keep moving along. Eventually, I break through the ice and am forced to confront my suffering as I fall into it. I then have to decide if I'm going to sink or swim.
ReplyDeleteI think that an awe-inspiring landscape that could link to my own suffering would be a dry, barren desert. When I am suffering, I feel totally alone in the world, just as someone would feel who is in the middle of the desert. Also, my suffering soaks up all of my thoughts and emotionally drains me when I have to face it or think about it, just as a the beating down sun could dehydrate and exhaust a person. Furthermore, my suffering scares me, because there are things riding on me and hanging over my head that are difficult and terrifying. I think that if I were alone in the desert, I would feel scared and vulnerable, just as my suffering makes me feel.
ReplyDeleteMy suffering image is a deep and vast ocean. When I am feeling down I feel like no one is around me to help me get through the tough time. It feels like I'm a sailor looking for land or an island that is offering food and fresh water, but am surrounded by salt water all around me for miles. If I was alone on a ship in the ocean I would feel alone and I wouldn't know what to do, just how I feel when I'm suffering. Also if you were alone in the middle of the ocean you would feel a sense of insecurity, which is how you feel when suffering. Also when suffering it takes time to get through, if you were trying to find land in the middle of the ocean it would take time for you to find any land around.
ReplyDeleteI really like to just watch the ocean. I don't have to be in pain or suffering to do it, but it always leads my mind astray. I have personally really never suffered that bad in my life. I mean at times I have felt like life can be unfair, but I have never actually experienced just an awful life draining event. I'm sure that when/if I am involved in an event like that, I will wonder why something bad happened to that person. But, I will always be thankful for the fact that I am healthy, and aware that suffering happens to everyone at some point in our lives.
ReplyDeleteIf i had to choose a landscape to represent my grief, I would chose a waterfall. Waterfalls always have intrigued me. To me, waterfalls say "don't leave me hanging" and they looks like nature is crying and grieving with you; they also create a sense of comfort saying that everything will be alright even if everything went downhill or is not like it used to be like. They create something so beautiful and hard to interpret. Standing next to a waterfall can make me feel so small inside and out. My tears are nothing compared to whats falling from that brink. Waterfalls portray this feeling of loneliness and not wanting to be left alone but also shows that your tears are nothing compared to nature's and you are nothing compared to this world. If my tears fell with the water it would mix and disappear and there's no way of getting my tears back, which is shocking and awe-inspring to me. That's why I would chose to paint or picture a waterfall.
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ReplyDeleteAn image that would properly illustrate my suffering is a geyser, or an explosive volcano. The pressure builds up, it can take days or seconds, and when you least expect it the anger or tears burst out. You never know when it's going to be let out, so you have to be careful. There are no signs, so you have to be attentive. I can hold things in for days, yet you will never know it. All of the sudden it begin to erupt, and when the eruption is over, you are left with steam or ash in the air. These are representative of the stage in which I may be calm, still letting out anything that was left inside. Therefore leaving room for the cycle to begin, once again. Volcanoes are so much bigger than one and make you feel small, almost like nothing, yet they are much like some of us. As well as geysers, when there has been too much pressure they will erupt. These two phenomenons stir awe in me, because you never know how similar you are to them, yet being so different.
ReplyDeleteIf I was truly suffering I would paint myself in the middle of a vast dry desert. Water has always been comforting to me, if I was in the middle of an ocean I would be more at peace than suffering. The motion of the waves is soothing and the beauty and power is fascinating and awe-inspiring. A desert however takes me out of my comfort zone, away from everything I know and understand. I would be lost in the unknown. I would be all alone without the comforts of the towering mountains hugging my world or the peaceful waves crashing the shore, drowning out the sounds of the city.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to paint an image of my own suffering, it would be a big, dry desert. This is because deserts are bland. Or at least I think of them to only have colors along the lines of brown, yellow, and green, and maybe a splash of happier colors, such as pink, here and there. Deserts also do not have lots of water, and I personally drink so much water. Not only when I'm thirsty, but lots of times when I am worked up or upset or about to cry, I drink water to calm me down, and give me time to take deep breathes. Also, deserts are dry, and I don't a;ways do too well with complete dryness because I have asthma and the dryness would only make it harder for me to breathe. Lastly, many times I get worked up and my palms begin to sweat, in the desert they'd sweat twice as much. The desert sounds like just a stressful place to be. I feel like it is the place that I would feel totally lost in and in complete confusion.
ReplyDeleteI would have to compare my sufferings to an ocean. Similar to my problems, an ocean is full of mystery. When I am at the beginning or middle of my problem, I tend to feel like there is no end or solution, and often don't even know where to begin. With my problems I will find a solution most of the time. The ocean also is deep in some parts, then is able to end somewhere. Similar to the high tides, the oceans water move further than they normally do for a short amount of time. This is also like my suffering because it may be solved, but every so often it could come back to haunt me. Now I will be able to solve that quicker than I was with the actual problem. It may stay from a few minutes to a whole day, but it will be a lot easier to solve. The only difference seems to be that people tend to run from there fears and sufferings to avoid them, but they also run to the ocean.
ReplyDeleteTo paint my personal sufferings it would be a fire. Not a huge scary fire, almost like a camp fire. No I'm not a pyro, I just love to watch fire. It has always interested me. Every fire will be different and almost every second it will change never looking the same. Fire for some reason has always relaxed me. A fire while it is blazing seems invincible but eventually it dies out. So I can relate my problems to a fire. While they are happening it seems like they will never go away, but eventually they will slowly fade away and be over.
ReplyDeleteThe things that i have going on in my live I would not describe them as a calm landscape. I would actually put it was a weather climate. Hurricane, that is what my situation in life right now is. I say that because There is a "storm" blowing and raining all around me but in the middle, like the eye of a hurricane, I try to stay calm. To be honest is not like I have a choice, because my brother and sister are going through the something and I have to stay strong for them. I have to tell them that everything will be okay, they might believe that but inside I don't. I know that we are counting down the last days to spend time with her, so I'm trying my hardest to spend time with her.
ReplyDeleteMy personal sufferings would be compared to a snow-covered mountain. My worst suffering occurs at the top, the hardest part for a climber to climb, and the most memorable part. When I'm at the top, or when I'm thinking about my worst suffering, I look at the other mountain's of suffering of other people, soaring above mine, and I realize I don't really have it that bad. I think about the people that don't have a home, a job, or a family. Also, I picked a mountain because it's hard for a climber to climb down, figuratively and metaphorically. It takes time, and it's hard to forget that moment your at the top.
ReplyDeleteI think it is my suffering would be similar to an ocean. No one can see the end, neither can I.. but there is one. Land in a literal stand point. You also never know what the ocean holds.. There are big waves that knock something down and then there are nice calm waves that give you a chance to breathe. I think that there is a lot more in life to still discover.. It will end eventually but not soon (suffering). Grades, School, Friends, Relationships and Personal Acceptance are some of the common sufferings in a teenager and those are the many things that the "ocean" hold. The ocean has always fascinated me and I always wondering what was out there.. and in a suffering case I always wondered.. "Is there going to be an end to this?". It takes time.. and then there will be the on and off commotion of waves and feelings. It's just a part of life and there really is no way to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteMy suffering would be like a glacier. When the environment around me is negative, I tend to reflect it by freezing up, just like a glacier. However when the environment is positive, the glacier melts and the warmness in me comes out. Glaciers are the landscapes that fascinate me the most. They are so strong, but yet they float on top of water. That is like my suffering because it deters any happiness that attempts to come into me, covers up all the happiness and goodness inside, but if I surround myself with happy people, then the suffering wanes instantly.
ReplyDeleteFor me, a personal metaphor for my suffering would have to be the vast, dry, scorching deserts of the world. Throughout my life, I have felt pain and suffering but many times, it feels as if I have lost myself in the sandy dunes without a place to recuperate. In addition, the desert is so large that is is impossible to see from one end to another. As one tries to journey across the landscape of hell, the heat and lack of resources is unbearable. In my life, I am forced to travel this journey which resembles my career in sports and academics. It seems that once I have entered such a stage of sadness and despair, it would take a miracle to suck me out of the endless desert. Whenever I see images of these incredible landscapes, I am both awestricken and full of fear. Another prime example of this metaphor relates to taking rare opportunities. If a chance to do something great in my life reveals itself, many instances I either hesitate or refuse to challenge myself and make the "journey across the desert". However, if I do accept the task, it also seems like the most painful and frustrating action I have ever experienced. On the other hand, if I am able to overcome my fears and cross the desert successfully, I will have gained extensive qualities that will remain with me for the rest of my life and help me combat the inevitable suffering which all must face.
ReplyDeleteThe best metaphor of my suffering would be from the bottom of the ocean looking up. The water isn't murky, its a clear view of the light on the other side of the water. Similar to the clear water, I allow myself to see the hope and keep my mind set on getting out of the problems. While I suffer, I often feel as though I'm drowning in all of the problems bestowed upon me. Rather than just looking down at the ocean floor and not trying to swim, I'm looking up to God who will help pull me out of the ocean of sadness. I know that I can't just pull myself out of the ocean alone, and I am always looking to God or my friends to help me. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not, but it's clearly better than letting myself suffer alone.
ReplyDeleteI think the best way to describe my sufferings would be as a mountain range. When I look through the window on a plane, I always look for the vast ranges of mountains that go on as far as the eye can see. Mountains ranges represent my sufferings because of their vastness and their size. Mountain ranges go on for what seems like forever, like any suffering, and they tower above everything else, like how suffering towers over other priorities when they are present. In mountain ranges, the biggest peaks are surrounded by many more smaller summits, which can also represent how there is small amounts of suffering that are always around while the largest sufferings come up less frequently.
ReplyDeleteThe way I describe my suffering is a bear in hibernation. I think when I feel suffering I go into complete shut down mode. I do not really like to tell anyone about any problems I am going through or something that is bothering me. I would rather just keep it to myself and act strong for everyone. Then after awhile, like a long winter, I finally tell someone about something that is making me upset. Just like a bear after hibernation would want to talk to other bears after a long period of time without anyone. I think instead of the bear actually hibernating I would rather have a picture of a bear being active and out and about. I should work on telling others what is wrong instead of completely shutting down.
ReplyDeleteMy suffering resembles a frozen pond. There is only a thin covering of ice on the pond and below that is frigid, deadly water. However I have to walk over the thin ice. If I step across the pond carefully and calmly I could get across it with no problem. But if I begin to get frustrated my footsteps get heavier and heavier. And then suddenly I am in water over my head and I can't do anything. The only thing I think about in the darkness is that I could have prevented my suffering. The only thing I can do is learn from my mistakes. Sometimes I do walk carefully and avoid my earlier mistakes only to fall through a sheet of weaker ice. There is nothing I can do to stop my suffering except to try to reduce its quantity as much as possible. Or I could ask my fairy godmother to turn me into a seal.
ReplyDeleteMy suffering would be represented by the Gulf of Mexico because it is polluted and unclear like my suffering. Sometimes its hard to tell if I'm suffering. I try to keep it to myself. At any moment a giant wave could crash like when I break down after not being able to handle much more. No one sees it coming like a giant wave sneaking up on a child in the Gulf. Also the water represent my hopelessness like drowning and no where to go. Though there are many creatures submerged under the water, it seems as though no one is there to save me. But also the waves can lift people up instead of forcing them downwards. My suffering not only is painful, but I learn something from it, which lifts me up as though I'm riding a wave, explaining why I chose the Gulf of Mexico.
ReplyDeleteI imagine that if something terrible happened to me, I would want to go to a beach, and sit in front of the ocean. I would feel as if my grief was the only thing that mattered anymore and never-ending, just like the ocean looks like it doesn't end. But, the ocean does end; we just can't see it. Similarly, I give up on trying to feel better and drown in my misery. Also, like the ocean, my suffering would take time to really sink in, but when it would, I would fall deep into grief and seclude myself for a long time. Finally, I would learn how to deal with it or time would heal my wounds and I would emerge from my seclusion a better person with more knowledge, experience, and appreciation of life. The ocean holds much knowledge and many secrets that can only be found at the deepest section, just like the lessons would be learned only after getting through my miseries.
ReplyDeleteA landscape that represents my suffering would be the Pacific Ocean. I love swimming, but am at the same time terrified of drowning. That's why I chose swimming as a sport, my greatest fear in life is that one day I will die by drowning. So,It seems fitting that my landscape represented by suffering would be the vast Pacific Ocean. Throughout history man has been at whim of the Ocean, which can represent both Peace and Loving, and Torture and Doom. When ever Something happens that is bad, I feel like I'm sinking. Down, deeper into the abyss with pressure building, Building, BUILDING! With all the uncertainty in life, and the stress and strain put on ourselves, it feels like I slipping slowly down into the unknown depths of a stormy Pacific. No matter the amount of exploration we do, there will always be uncertainty and countless unknown creatures lurking beneath the waves, just like our lives. I love and fear the ocean, and will always feel that way.
ReplyDeleteMy personal suffering would represent a vast desert. Lured in by the warmer weather, I would end up in the middle of nowhere, without knowing how I got there. I allow things to progressively get worse until one day I wake up and realize how bad things are. A desert, hot and dry, vast and endless, would easily be the best representation of my suffering. Suffering is made worse when one can't see the end of it. When you feel helpless, that is when you should turn to the sublime or God. Everyone suffers. The difference lies in those of us who don't let the suffering change who we are.
ReplyDeleteThe best representation of my personal suffering would have to be the very top of a mountain. Surrounded by emptiness, with a view of a giant landscape, I would be at the mercy of the wind; one small breeze, and down I fall. The sharp cold at the very top would be as uncaring as my problems, and the lack of oxygen would make it increasingly hard to breathe, just as stress would have suffocated me. Also, the seemingly close proximity to the sky would create the feeling of closeness to the God I would be questioning, almost as if he now couldn't ignore me.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to paint a picture that acted as a metaphor for my own personal suffering, I would paint a lone glacier surrounded only by freezing water: no other chunks of ice, no polar bears, no fluffy penguins, nothing. It would just be a lone glacier floating along, minding its own business. That is how I tend to behave when I am suffering. I shut everyone out though I wish I could let everyone in. I wander around aimlessly, trying to avoid conversation of all types and concentrate on whatever it is I am brooding over. If I am at home, I will shuffle into my room, prop myself up against the headboard of my bed, and think. And when I am alone with negative thoughts, things tend to get worse. Therefore, if I were to paint a metaphor for my suffering, it would be a single, solitary glacier floating among nothing but freezing water because that’s how I behave when I suffer: I walk alone, Zach against the world, just like my solo glacier.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely choose an ocean. Often in times of suffering, i will isolate myself from everything else and go into a deep mental state of thought on what I did or what is happening. The ocean's desolate environment symbolizes the almost- loneliness I throw myself into. It is an strange place barley explored by humans, which makes it extremely unknown. The sheer size of it is enough to being on pur sublimity at first sight, and throughout my suffering I will look back into the 'world' I left or "back at the horizon" and realize that I'm only prolonging my suffering. Eventually, I see the beauty of everything again and am able to pull myself out.
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