The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Suffering Quotes

Sounds like the start to an apocalyptic movie, probably involving zombies. But this is real, and the Hmong people are no strangers to suffering. As a tight-knit and super insular community, the Hmong are faced with scrutiny wherever they go and forced into conflict with groups much larger and more powerful than they are. Like the Rebel Alliance going up against the evil Galactic Empire, the Hmong are holding on by a thread.

We watch Lia endure a lot of suffering, and we also see how folks from different cultures have a range of responses to what she's going through. Even though they're beefing with Lia's parents, Neil and Peggy are genuinely moved by the poor girl's plight, making it their personal mission to help her get better. In fact, they're shocked by Nao Kao and Foua's seeming apathy about their daughter's condition. It's really just a different way of thinking about suffering, but the miscommunication it leads to is a whole 'nother bundle of struggles.

Let's go out on a limb and re-diagnose "total body pain" as some form of PTSD. Most Hmong—even those who weren't directly involved in combat—saw plenty of awful, heart-breaking stuff over the course of the "Quiet War." Those experiences still haunt them, leading to plenty of shame, fragile identities, and pariah-hood in those hospital hallways.

Dang. That's nothing to scoff at. American deaths were not low in the Vietnam War, so this is extreme. Plus it highlights that thing about Americans just not getting it when it comes the Hmong: though many gave up their lives on behalf of the U.S. government, the Hmong community's sacrifices go completely unnoticed by their American neighbors.

Foua has experienced some truly gut-wrenching (or milk-wrenching) stuff in her life. But still, she never seems to lose hope and is driven forward by her seemingly inexhaustible supply of love for her family. If only you could fuel a car with that stuff, huh?

Emotional suffering is often worse than physical suffering. Many Hmong are forced to make tough life-or-death decisions on their trek to Thailand, and the decisions they make haunt them for the rest of their lives. Even worse, many are forced to commit grave spiritual offenses in order to survive, and that just makes for further mental anguish among the refugees.

Once again, we see repressed suffering bubbling to the surface. This refugee's emotional baggage has gotten so heavy that it's causing him to be afraid of public spaces overall (that's what agoraphobia is, and it's a tough diagnosis to cope with if you ever want to be outside). Maybe the Hmong aren't so wrong about the connection between mind and body after all.

Surprisingly, this is a moment that bonds Neil and Foua. This is the first time Foua realizes that Lia's suffering has taken an emotional toll on Neil. Even this distant, science-y American would do anything to make Lia better. We can talk about religious rituals and cultural discrepancies until the cows come home, but all Foua wanted was a little sympathy, and here, albeit in a surprising way, she's got it.

The Lees are such a loving family that Anne sometimes forgets about their hardships. Nao Kao and Foua have adapted their lives to care for Lia as best they can, but they've never been able to let go of their anger and sadness about the whole ordeal. As we've seen time and time again, though, burying your grief only delays the inevitable—our real emotions always show through, whether we like it or not.

Once again, Neil and Peggy bond with the Nao Kao and Foua over suffering. All four of them are going through every parent's worst nightmare—the sickness of a child—and are struggling to survive with their hearts intact. Though they're still angry with Lia's doctors, the Lees can't help but extend their sympathy. The lesson? Sometimes it takes a good dose of suffering (well, a bad dose) to bring people who don't see eye-to-eye together.