Suffering and healing in the concept of neighborhood

Suffering in the concept of neighborhood is a theorization that contextualizes the genesis and metamorphosis of suffering in light of the far-reaching social engagement that, expectedly so, affects our economic, mental, interpersonal, and psychological welfare. It departs from a preliminary understanding that whereas suffering can be partially characterized as an introspective experience that can be handled stoically, humans are, inevitably, social beings who can hardly live in a solitary setting with neither the urge nor the need to interact with others. Incorporating the concept of neighborhood when trying to understand suffering and healing, therefore, projects an important, but at the same time paradoxical idea that a neighborhood is an ailment that presents its own antidote. In other words, while neighborhoods unapologetically precipitate human crises that engender disparities, precipitate pitiful inequities, and cause significant deprivation of essential resources that primarily diminish people’s welfare, the solution to those problems are ironically entrenched within the systems and structures of those settlements. 

In full appreciation of the fact that a neighborhood is widely defined – at least geographically – as a localized area that forms part of a larger settlement such as a town or a city, a more functionalist definition is preferred for the purpose of this paper since it projects neighborhoods as units of social cohesion that grants people with a sense of belonging, identity, and mechanisms of primary social interactions. It is with this orientation in mind that this paper proposes a four-stage mechanism of healing in the concept of neighborhood. It, principally, argues that the process of healing undergoes a four-staged evolution spanning from suffering as the first stage, healing, becoming a healer, and developing a healed neighborhood characterized by emotionally and spiritually stable individuals to prevent suffering that would be caused by an, otherwise, ailing society. To effectively elucidate the aforementioned process, this paper draws from a multifaceted array of sources including academic literature, the scripture, and my personal experiences with the view of developing a well-thought framework for social healing within neighborhoods and creating more sustainable societies. Ultimately, the discussion herein presents a template through which people can turn neighborhoods into iconic sources of joy and healing rather than the dreaded causative agents of suffering and deprivation. It provides hope to advance the pastoral work of Jesus and the promise of salvation from suffering to plant the seeds of love, compassion, and empathy.