Out of chaos, brilliant stars are born.
I Ching Hexagram #3
A good friend recently asked why bad things happen to good people. She also went on to say that she'd heard "things happen for a reason" one too many times.
I really have no answers--and I don't believe there are any for us mere mortals--but it's something I've thought about over the years.
When my Aunt Bert died, I was generally pissed off at the universe. All I could think about was that it was so unfair that such a good person who touched so many died, when there were so many out there who weren't good or kind or sweet like her...but I came to realize that's not my judgement to make.
How can anyone come to terms with such seeming cruelty and inequality on the part of either a supreme being or life in general (it doesn't matter what your beliefs are)? I finally decided that there is no order or rationality to such things. There is no purpose to the loss of a loved one, there is no reason for someone to be hit with the cancer stick, there is no hidden agenda that we are unable to comprehend. There is no veil of understanding that will magically be lifted if only we think about it long enough. It's all random. Things just...happen.
This is not to absolve us of taking care of ourselves and our world. You don't get to smoke like a chimney for 50 years and when you're dying of lung cancer, cry to God, "Why me?" My feeling, though, is that for the average person, it's completely random. (Karma is another story, and I think that addresses behavioral issues rather than health issues.)
If all this sounds bleak, I don't mean it to be--and I don't think it is. If I sound like a nihilist, I'm not. I believe that there is certainly purpose to our lives, things to be done, people to influence (hopefully in a positive way). We all have free will and we all have potential. Our attitude and outlook can certainly have an impact on our successes (or failures) in life, just as our physical behaviors can affect our health. Trying to figure out why bad things happen to good people is like spitting into the wind, and it's a question that has no answer. I gave up trying to figure it out years ago, because there is nothing to figure out. It's random.
When I came to the point where I realized that life IS what it IS, and that there is precious little that I can do about it, it was really a relief. Instead of trying to wrap our minds around what possible purpose there can be for such random acts of cruelty from the powers that be, it seems that the only way to deal with it is to come to terms with it, reach the point of acceptance, and move forward. In the meantime, it makes sense to have fun, not waste time on foolish endeavors, and be a decent person.
7 comments:
I am sending my prayers,for you and yours
hugs
Sherry
The Purpose Driven Life is a great book to let you know that we are here for only one purpose...now, you may not be religious, but spritual enough to believe in a higher/supreme power. I think most people do believe in that. It still boggles the mind how everything just is, and it is perfect. Even those who, perhaps are not nice people, they are still someone's brother/sister, son/daughter. Who are we to judge? Its still a fascinating world!
xoxo ~Myra
When I went deaf...I was angry at the world. I figured out with everything else I had to suffer with all my life, I was on the deserving end of a break at some point. I even went so far as to say if there was a God he was a cruel sob.
Now 3 years later, I've come to terms with it all. I realize with some cruel twist of fate...the cards had indeed turned. The pain, the suffering were simply stepping stones to give me the experience I needed to help someone else.
In this world it's never enough to help yourself, in some cosmic way we are responsible for more than the number 1..(Hugs) Indigo
While we are not into organized religion, that does not mean that we are not spiritual. As with everything else, there are positives and negatives. Do not judge others unless you are willing to be judged!
http://journals.aol.com/buckoclown/Bucko
Are you guys ok after the earthquake? I felt it here in TN!
Traci
I know a doctor who believes the only reason he became a doctor was because of the hardships he endured as a youth. I had an employee who believed the only reason she did NOT, could not, become a doctor was because of the hardships she endured as a youth. Life sucks all the more each & every time you think: LIFE SUCKS. I don't know much, but I have the sense to recognize life is a lot sweeter when we stop blaming & looking for concrete reasons to everything. If they truly existed & if living was made more livable by ranting about Mom Dad Boss Sister Brother Ex & UNFAIR crap, we'd have found that out by now. ~Mary
WONDERFUL entry.
my thoughts, feelings and my attitude today are very colored by my past. For better or for worst. When something horrible happens to a child, every time, my heart seizes up and i question God. Why. Take me, not a child. So many things that the average everyday person can not wrap their minds around.......so many questions.....and unknown things that we do not understand.
You have a way of explaining it all well.
HUGS
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