IGWEBUIKE PHILOSOPHY AND HUMAN SUFFERING

Abstract

Whenever we find ourselves in a precarious situation as the case is today vis-à-vis the rising wave of insecurity in Nigeria which manifests itself in different forms ranging from Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping, herders-farmers conflict, armed banditry, violent cult activities, etc. These security challenges, occasioned by leadership failure, massive corruption all together constitute a disturbing trend in Nigeria‟s development process. As a consequent, we are left with „man made‟ human suffering. Faced with such problem of evil and human suffering, the most natural and spontaneous thing that have continued to arise in the minds of men and women of various generations and classes are to look up to God for divine intervention with questions such as: Why does God permit wickedness? Is this just the way things supposed to be? Is the earth always being lived in, in accordance to God‟s will? These questions, no doubt, border on the origin, cause, purpose, etc., of human suffering and its interpretation. While these questions continue to arise in the minds of scholars even in the contemporary era, this work is interested, in providing a biblical, philosophical and pragmatic interpretation to human suffering, and how to help those who are victims to accept that it has some eschatological proportions. Although several approaches have been taken to explain and interpret human suffering, this work, however, adopts an Igwebuike philosophical method of pragmatic and wholistic approach. It sees the different approaches to the problem of human suffering as dimensions of the whole, which, as individuals do not provide a wholistic solution to the problem of human suffering, however, when placed within the realm of theology, it provides that sense of fulfillment and everlasting contentment.