Some die young, very young. I was reading an article written by a father grieving his 4-year-old son's death, recounting the horrific pain. Regularly (but not always - obviously), parents decry the injustice of the world, what Irvin Yalom phrases "cosmic indifference." Not that I think Yalom has hit the nail on the head, either. Admittedly, I frequently read similar stories and feel very removed or distanced from the occurrence. It personally surfaces as a rare event. And statistically speaking, it is. We have average lifespans, for instance. That is, I am supposed to live longer, older than I am now.
So now, I am to have a right to live the "average" length? It seems natural, human almost, to consider that fair; I deserve to live until...oh say 70 at least. A tragic accident or congenital disease would arise as unexpected and unfair.
But nature happens, put simply. We watch it befall animals regularly. Tragic but regularly accepted (on another day, I will address my thoughts on animals' precarious situation). So why the anger toward the cosmos, toward the transcendent, toward God? If nature favors none, and "the fit survive" (a harrowing thought, I think), at whom are we angry? Becoming enraged with a larger entity or Divine implies a pull, a sensation, or a belief in an order. Do we attack the unjust and absurdity of the universe because, in our hearts, we feel a larger presence than our own? Perhaps.
Interesting post and I think it depends on how you see the world. If one sees the world as being on automatic pilot, then yes, it seems as if there are random acts of injustice. But after my son's battle with cancer, I choose to see the hand of God in most things. If anyone picked up the paper tomorrow and saw that a father had stood by while his neighbor beat his son and then nailed the child to a tree, we would be horrified at what we would perceive as the lack of a normal reaction on the part of the father. But I, as a Christian, do not see the crucifixion this way because I know the REASON for it and I TRUST God's decisions. It is only when we do not know the reason, that events seem random. When my son was fighting for his life, yes, I wondered at the apparent injustice of it. And as a mother, facing the death of her first born child, I played "mind games" with myself in order to prevent losing my mind to grief. One of my head games was this: What if, God knew that some monster was going to kidnap my son and torture him; that my son's death was a certainty. And what if based on this knowledge, God in His mercy chose to take my son in a way where my son would know no pain, and have his loved ones with him when he passed. Wouldn't what most would perceive as a tragedy, then become a blessing?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your personal reflection, for you, in this instance and example, can offer a much more personal and real encounter of this thing about which I speak. Indeed, it is all so difficult. I think that may be my ONLY certainty at this point. To be okay with ultimately not being able to [logically] "know."
ReplyDeleteLove your comments. Thanks again, and keep them coming.
I was not okay with not being able to know so I took the Bible up on the challenge to seek and then find. It works. I sought diligently and with pure intent and I found and now I do "know". This "knowing" you speak of, is possible and for some knowing is our destiny; for others, there is faith. You can be certain that I will continue to comment; I like that you think. Too many in this world have had their minds taken over by the talking heads on TV. LOL gently,laura
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