The Four Voices
I recently read All the Glimmering Stars, Mark T. Sullivan’s latest inspiring historical fiction novel, published last year. It tells the story of Anthony Opaka and Florence Okori, two Ugandans who were kidnapped as teens and indoctrinated into the Lord’s Resistance Army. The LRA is a rebel militia turned criminal gang operating in Uganda and surrounding countries (much of the book takes place in Sudan) since the late 1980s. Anthony became a child soldier, and Florence, who had ambitions to become a nurse, was kidnapped as a sex slave essentially (they wed her to an old man to legitimize the arrangement, but she was subjugated in all ways). The novel details the horrors of their situation but also how they emerge and grow from it.
I love survival stories. I love those of humans who survive against the elements (e.g. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage or Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II) and also those of people who survive their oppressors, such as this one. These tales are empowering (autonomy). They give me hope not only that I’d be able to survive in similar circumstances (God forbid) but also that I have the strength to conquer current challenges. If Florence can give birth to a child while being shot at, then certainly I should be able to fix a financial mix-up, a problem far less harrowing.
My favorite part of All the Glimmering Stars is a discussion Anthony had with a dying shopkeeper. The shopkeeper’s last act was a good one: he took the time to educate Anthony about the Four Voices: Rush, Violence, Lack, and Fear. Rush, he says, urges you to always work harder and do more to survive. Violence points out the injustice of things done to you. Lack tells you that no matter how hard you work, it’ll never be enough, you’ll never have enough. Fear says you deserve the bad things that happen to you. The shopkeeper also gives Anthony suggestions on how to quiet the Four Voices. Ever after Anthony remembers back to the shopkeeper’s lesson, always recognizing when one of the Four Voices is talking to him and applying the shopkeeper’s tips to mute the Voice.
I loved this lesson and how Anthony and, later, Florence apply it to their lives because the shopkeeper’s description of the Four Voices correlates to the Right Hand of Long-Term Happiness and the Four Stages of an Event. It simply comes at the problem of life satisfaction from a different angle: listen to the Voice of dissatisfaction, identify it, and neutralize it. My theory, on the other hand, is that working to fill the Six Needs and meet expectations is another way to counteract those negative voices, hopefully before they ever have a chance to arise. All four of the voices have ties to safety. Violence is a voice that is loud when your autonomy needs are also suffering; it strips you of the feeling that you have the power to improve your situation. The shopkeeper tells Anthony that the way to quiet Lack is to practice gratitude, which is one way of using reflection to help you meet your expectations, and for the most part Lack is a problem of unmet expectations. Finally, the voice of Fear is largely related to esteem.
If you’re interested in learning the shopkeeper’s other tips for quieting the Four Voices or if you could use a dose of hope, I recommend you read All the Glimmering Stars. Which of the Four Voices have you been hearing most often lately (for me, it feels like it’s always Rush!)? The shopkeeper admits that there can be other voices even if these four tend to be the most active. What other voices of dissatisfaction can you think of?