Sunday, September 14, 2008

Why God allows pain and suffering?

Life’s important questions - 3

Why God allows pain and suffering?

Found in my inbox:

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen..

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exisits”

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! But that's what happens when people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! And that's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Added by me:

Heard in one of Sri Sri Ravishankar’s question answer sessions:

Question: When there are so many spiritual people around in India why there is so much pain and sorrow around?

Ans: Why are you asking only this and why don’t you ask when there are so many doctors and hospitals around why there is so much sickness around? and more explanation....


3 comments:

padmum said...

Swami Dayananda says there are two bundles--Paapam and Punyam. The Punyam you do is not going to cancel out the sins.

He says that when you fall ill you may be admitted to the best hospital, have the best medical attention, AC room, great bed, pretty and caring nurses, family hovering around you and showering acre and attention on you. All this may be due to your punyam or good deeds. The pain nad agony that you undergo, however, is yours alone to bear!

Padmini Natarajan

Anonymous said...

What people DO NOT notice, and this is the real sad part, is that the vast majority of people do not suffer pain and sorrow on a constant basis. This is taken for granted and hardly anyone shows gratitude to God, and only when dis - ease is perceived that God comes into the picture.

Unknown said...

Are suffering required TO Realize the god ?

Many preachers, Common Men & women usually feel so but is this really god wants.....does he really need TO subject US TO suffering......
My opinion in this matter is the other way round.
We should accept that suffering is a integral part of human .
“Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for
the heart to conquer it.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Indian Hindu mystic philosopher.
It is true devotion TO god which helps US TO MOVE ahead in life .God is omnipotent and his love for US make suffering nullified.