In light of the recent earthquake and the following devastation in Haiti, many people are asking, "Why does God allow all this to happen?"  Such questions abound at this time and in similar situations.  Interestingly enough, there is a tendency to point an accusatory finger at God whenever disaster strikes, but rarely does one fold hands before God in gratitude when all is well.

The world we live in is a world of duality, in which virtue cannot exist without vice; good cannot exist without bad, and pleasure cannot exist without pain.  As humans, there are three sorrows we suffer from.  Firstly, we suffer from physical and mental ailments.  Physically we suffer from many diseases, and mentally we suffer from anger, greed, pride etc.  We also suffer due to other creatures, such as flies, mosquitoes, snakes and spiders.  Thirdly, there are sorrows which arise from forces of nature, such as tsunamis, typhoons, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. 

 

There are many natural phenomena with which we are extremely happy.  One of them is the sun rising every morning and setting every evening.  Another is when it rains in the rainy season.  We are extremely happy that the seasons automatically follow one another, and also that we are not obliged to consciously think about taking one breath after another.  All of the above are natural, and nature is something which cannot be changed.  Just as it is natural for the sun to shine, it is likewise natural for there to be calamities from time to time.

 

At this very difficult time, we must thank God for all that He does for us.  We must also pray to Him to give us the inner strength to carry on with our devotion.

 

Finally, we must do whatever we can to alleviate the tremendous suffering of our fellow brothers and sisters of Haiti.

 

Yours,

Didi Ji