Questions?
Why oh why does the wind blow
and the flowers grow?
Why do trees stand so very tall
and the rain continually fall?
Why the hurricane,
tornado or earthquake?
Bringing fear and death and more in their wake?
Why does the child die and yet still so small?
Yet the evil person still grows tall?
Questions that constantly fill the head.
Yet answers are never found.
stand in constant dread.
A man upon a tree,
In wonder, we stand and see.
The answers to our questions seek.
Still, no answers come.
If we can but in his life solace find.
The questions disappear and answers in their stead.
In flights of wonder grow,
as daily onward go.
In life's knowledge grow.
Why Oh Why?
"Why is light given, to those in misery, and life to the bitter soul, to those that long for death that does not come, who search for it more than hidden treasure, who are filled with gladness and rejoice when they reach the grave? Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?"
Job 3; 20-23
There are times where life seems very difficult to fathom or to understand. We can feel weighed down and nothing seems to go the way we would wish it to go. It is at such times that like Job in the Old Testament finds himself asking, "Why? Why me Lord? For even the person with what would seem the strongest of faith there are those moments of doubt and uncertainty. Life can just seem to be so unfair when we measure what we have alongside what we see around us.
The rich and wealthy seem to go on getting richer while the poor get ever and ever poorer. The wicked seem to thrive and progress while the righteous persons never seem to prosper at all. It seems that life is indeed very unfair.
The man Job seemed to one such person. He felt so desolate, so deep in a dark place, and could not understand why. He called out, directing all his pent up anger towards heaven and God. "A God! Do not speak to me about God. If there is such a God then this would not happen to me."
How many people of faith have turned their back on a God and on any kind of belief or faith in anything else? Countless numbers have turned their backs and sought meaning and happiness in other sources.
For many, it seems such a terrible thing to allow doubt into their lives and they feel they have no other choice but to turn away. For Job, there seemed to be no answer forthcoming from anywhere. He turned to friends and fellow believers asking for their help; he found none.
There is not a thing wrong with having questions and even doubts and uncertainties about life, religion or faith. It is from such that growth will often come. But there is also much wisdom in the words of the teachers and sages who tell us that there are times when rather than keeping on whipping ourselves and tormenting the brain with questions, we should simply stop and let things be. To let go and let be, and rather than finding answers find that the questions disappear.
Be afraid and know that it is not a crime to fear. Feel grief and know that it is acceptable to grieve. Be angry and know that there is such a thing as righteous anger. All of those reactions are better than turning more and more within ourselves.
We do live in an age when more and more the call goes out to stand on your own two feet. The first priority is to make sure number one is well looked after and to hang with anything else. It is little wonder that in the midst of such that when we feel a time of weakness we castigate ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with giving help to one another if it is even allowing another to know that we are there for them. Likewise, there is no need to feel that we are an island, It is permissible to share and find strength in another. it takes a brave person to admit that like Job we are feeling defeated. At such times it may be faith that restores or it may be simply finding that inner strength that we have if we but allow it to surface and strengthen us.
John Lennon tells of the time he was asked by a teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up. He thought for a moment and replied that he wanted to be happy. The teacher told him he had not understood the question. He told the teacher she had not understood life.
There are some questions that need to be asked but it was the Buddha who said that there are some answers it is unnecessary to find.
Be afraid and know that it is not a crime to fear. Feel grief and know that it is acceptable to grieve. Be angry and know that there is such a thing as righteous anger. All of those reactions are better than turning more and more within ourselves.
We do live in an age when more and more the call goes out to stand on your own two feet. The first priority is to make sure number one is well looked after and to hang with anything else. It is little wonder that in the midst of such that when we feel a time of weakness we castigate ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with giving help to one another if it is even allowing another to know that we are there for them. Likewise, there is no need to feel that we are an island, It is permissible to share and find strength in another. it takes a brave person to admit that like Job we are feeling defeated. At such times it may be faith that restores or it may be simply finding that inner strength that we have if we but allow it to surface and strengthen us.
John Lennon tells of the time he was asked by a teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up. He thought for a moment and replied that he wanted to be happy. The teacher told him he had not understood the question. He told the teacher she had not understood life.
There are some questions that need to be asked but it was the Buddha who said that there are some answers it is unnecessary to find.
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