This might hit a sour note for a few people, but I had a discussion with a very close friend of mine recently, and sometimes I think people need to be reminded of the need for all this to happen.
I have always encouraged you all to think for yourselves, and be critical. Also, I am not one to impose my beliefs on others, but as for this discussion I had, I feel that I should let you know what it was about.
My friend asked, "If there is a God, why does he allow so much pain and suffering?"
Here are a few reasons, why I feel that these things exist. I hate going through the bad times, and goodness I can't wait for them to end. But no matter how long they last, how much pain they cause, and how much I suffer. I know a time will come when it won't be as bad.
- Appreciation. I think the main reason for pain and suffering, is that if there wasn't things to bring you down to earth, everything would have to increasingly get better and better. Every day, you would have to be earning more money, your breakfast would have to taste better than yesterdays, your friends more loving and your life more enjoyable. Why? Because you are going to naturally want more. And without pain and suffering, you don't have a way to appreciate life the way you do now.
- Reference. If there was not good and bad, then you would have no way to gauge future events. If you did not have the pain of death, you would not know the gift of life. It would just be something there for anyone at anytime. Don't some of the best times, come after the worst times? This ties in to appreciation. If you could not look back at the things you've toiled through, then you would have no way to enjoy what you did to get there. I've always heard it's not where you go, it's how you get there. And the struggle that you go through to get anywhere in life, makes any achievement that much sweeter.
