Pain as a Profound Mystery: Proposing Hopeful Anthropocene Pastoral Care and Counseling through Eschatological Self

Abstract This study examines pain from the perspective of pastoral care and counseling. Specifically, it focuses on the pain caused by the Anthropocene. While the intersection between the Anthropocene and pastoral counseling may not seem apparent, they converge the realistic pain resulting from factors like Malthusian theories and the existential powerlessness faced during impending disasters. Interestingly, this pain is particularly evident among marginalized individuals. To understand Anthropocene pain from a pastoral counseling perspective, the study introduces two theoretical frameworks: the “eschatological self” and the practical theological understanding of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). The idea of the eschatological self interprets Moltmann’s theology of hope within pastoral counseling, emphasizing the influence of the future and shifting away from traditional counseling theories that primarily focus on the past’s impact. Within the concept of the eschatological self, an individual’s pain is seen as an opportunity to connect with Jesus, who was crucified. The understanding of practical theology of NSSI highlights the relationship between self-injury and the Christian ritual of baptism. While both involve self-destructive processes, they differ in the convergence of causes and resolution processes. Building upon these theoretical frameworks, the study presents a new methodology that could be called Anthropocene Pastoral Care and Counseling (APCC). The first task is Anthropocene justice, where attention is directed towards pain and its causes, not solely within an individual’s personal history but within the context of the Anthropocene. The second task is expansion into the community, which, through the intersection with baptism, aims to alleviate self-blame by exposing and expanding individual pain as a shared communal experience. The third task is gaining an eschatological self, wherein individuals discover themselves within pain and undergo theological and psychological development through encounters with transcendent existence. The final task is praxis, where individuals, having experienced and practiced eschatological selfhood, become capable community members who embrace and include others who share similar vulnerabilities.