Back in Catholic high school, I remember my doctrine teachers struggling over the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Their answers were always long, rambling and often incoherent.
Yesterday, my mom, sister and I discussed the question. My mom’s philosophy is, “s**t happens.” I don’t often share my mother’s perspectives; I think the answer to the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” is fairly simple, clear and logical.
When we divide our life’s occurrences into piles of “good” and “bad”, we’re applying judgments determined by a very small sliver of time and space, our culture, our beliefs, our upbringing, and various other subjective elements. A different person, seeing life from a different perspective, could categorize our occurrences quite differently.
For example, John might think that it’s “bad” that he got fired. But, 10 years later, his wife might judge the same situation as “good” – for, if he had stayed at his previous job, they would have never met and never married.
Our judgments of “good” and “bad” are subjective and arbitrary. If we strip our judgments away, we realize that bad stuff doesn’t happen to good people. Instead, stuff happens to good people. And bad people, too. None of us can escape the element of change.
More accurately, rather than saying “stuff happens to good (and bad) people” one could say that “we happen to stuff.” Why? Because ultimately it’s our perspectives that create our experience of a given event.
Example: Two people are watching a solar eclipse. One person is fascinated by the beauty of such a rare event. The other person is terrified, and convinced that it is demonic. Same event, different perspectives.
So, in conclusion, the question “Why does bad stuff happen to good people?” is erroneous in and of itself. Stuff isn’t good or bad. And it’s us that does the happening.
July 29, 2009 at 9:06 am
You r right. “Things” happens to everyone and its up to US to decide if its a “good” or “bad” thing.
Love you blog – new reader!
July 29, 2009 at 9:20 am
Right again man. As everything in life, our perspective can make us see thigs that happens to us differently, and surely there’s nothing better than another person to help us to face difficult things with another point of view.
Love ur blog. I guess i said it before xD
July 30, 2009 at 7:19 am
So often this question is asked when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. I believe, like you, Davey, that things happens. We are, after all, biologic organisms and sometimes things go awry. It is not punishment. Though another interesting point is that pent-up stress and internalized anger can also cause major medical problems – including cancer. Bottom line: Deal with your reality in as positive a way as you can.
July 31, 2009 at 6:41 am
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July 29, 2009 at 9:07 am
so true mate
July 29, 2009 at 9:10 am
A very Buddhist philosophy. Bobby McFerrin most famously sang, “Don’t worry, be happy.”
July 30, 2009 at 8:36 am
Good song!
July 29, 2009 at 9:10 am
I agree. There is life’s ups and downs. You have to take the good with the bad.
I think it is all how you look at it. You decide if it is a good day or a bad. You have the power to change it one way or another. It is all up to you.
Sometimes just knowing you are able to change your attitude around something gives you a little comfort and allows you to enjoy the journey of life with its ups and downs.
July 29, 2009 at 9:25 am
I share your view on this topic. Having lived enough years to look back at my experiences, I realize that what I thought was a bad event back then turned out to bring me good fortune. “Sometimes quickly; sometimes slowly”. Now, when things which I think are bad happen to me, I try and remember to wait for the good to come of it.
Thanks for the reminder today
July 29, 2009 at 9:46 am
Obviously you’re right, but some people think “why does bad things happen to good people?”…this is just because they prefer to feel like a victim
July 29, 2009 at 10:39 am
I used to suffer with frustration, more so from the reciprocal… I hated that good things would always happen to (seemingly) bad people. Gosh that gave me the irrits!
July 29, 2009 at 9:54 am
For is it not the ‘Bad’ that makes the ‘Good’ so much better than it (subjectively) is?!
Another great post, DaveyWavey!
f.
July 29, 2009 at 10:14 am
Hi!
Just like to point out that, much like your doctrine teachers’ answers, this blog post and each reader’s addition will make for another long, rambling and possibly incoherent spiel.
Why? Probably because that is the nature of this debate. Perhaps it is inevitable.
Let me add to the complexity with a snippet of my story:
I have always been a ‘good’ person, ever since I was very young. That’s to say, I have never hurt a soul nor have I thought of it, and I have always considered feelings when making ANY decision. Yet, bad things always happened to me…
Now, not much has changed in the way of the way I am, but as I grew up, I became a LOT more aware of good and bad and now my ‘nature’ has become more about conscious decision-making rather than solely going by what comes naturally… now, I really don’t wanna jinx myself, here… but since then, I really can’t complain about the things going on in my life….
Go figure.
July 29, 2009 at 10:23 am
Back in Catholic school I remember the bible verse that was quoted saying: “God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” From my point of view at the time I thought of the sun as a good thing and the rain as a bad thing, after all, I liked to go out with my friends on sunny days and I hated being stuck inside on rainy days. When I was young I thought like a child and reasoned like a child, now my point of view has changed, and hopefully will continue to change and develop. Now I have a small vegetable garden and I want both sun and rain because without either the things that I want to grow will not. They need both the sun and the rain.
Situations are not good or bad. Situations do not have intent. They just are. Our perspective on the situation is what labels things as good or bad.
People can be good or bad.
A person that only wants only the best, growth, and success for others then they are, at that moment, good.
If a person’s intent towards another is hate, ill will, pain or destruction then that person, at that moment is bad.
Fortunately people can change, and change can be as easy as first changing your thoughts and perspectives towards a situation or person.
In our limited perspective and understanding we do not know everything that is going to happen because of a specific situation. Learning to relax and not fight the unwanted situations around us will ultimately make us happier.
(As a side note, I do not hold my childhood Catholic doctrine anymore. I do not despise it since it has shaped who I am. Sometimes in the way my teachers intended and sometimes showing me why I cannot believe what I was taught.)
July 29, 2009 at 10:35 am
Holy crap!
That was the wisest thing I have ever read!
Well said, Mark!
July 29, 2009 at 10:47 am
holy hell thats deep
… and i know that verse from somewhere in my own earlier childhood
July 29, 2009 at 10:28 am
I like your eclipse analogy. Really gave the article extra uumph.
July 29, 2009 at 10:44 am
while i think your philosphy has merit, i really must agree with your mother: s**t HAPPENS and while it is up to us to determine good and bad, we can only control a small part of the turning of our world and the events thereof
July 29, 2009 at 11:30 am
As I, too, was raised in a very religious home (not catholic though) it was difficult for me to understand in my earlier years why good and bad things happen to people. I always was taught that if you follow God, make tithe offerings, and go to church that I would be in his favor. I realized through logic and rational thinking that this wasn’t the case.
I realized that good things happen and s**t happens to all people. It happens to “good” people and “bad” people the same. This is a fact of life.
I also realized that I have the ability to choose how I respond and react to the situations. I do have that power within me. That was a very liberating feeling. When I came to the realization of that fact it helped me deal with positives and negatives that life throws at me. It also help me understand others situations in life as well.
July 29, 2009 at 11:35 am
…what about karma?
July 29, 2009 at 1:12 pm
In the infinitely big scheme of the universe, I believe, it will all balance out.
July 29, 2009 at 3:15 pm
right…
but then, you do bad things, they come back to you
(i.e., bad things would happen to bad people)
July 29, 2009 at 5:03 pm
unfotunately it is not that easy but I believe in Karma, and here we are again, it´s up to you and for sure everything changes as well your point of view (
July 29, 2009 at 8:54 pm
it kind of is…
“what goes around comes around”. Something bad happens to you, it’s because you did it to yourself (in this or a previous lifetime). So bad things do happen to bad people. The universe is, after all, fair.
(…)
Having said this, – OK, fine – I agree with Davey, the good/bad thing is a matter of perspective. (Perhaps having the perspective “to see good” is part of what you get with good karma…)
July 29, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Hope I keep happening to my stuff…it’s been “good” so far…
Ciao!
July 29, 2009 at 12:36 pm
How would you explain Matthew Shepard’s murder?
July 29, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Hey Michael,
My thoughts on your question are two below. I posted it in the wrong spot.
July 29, 2009 at 1:06 pm
HI Davey,
I gotta say, I only partly agree with what you wrote. Sure your perspective makes for a lot of what you feel and experience in life. However, I don’t believe there is such a thing as good and bad people. There are people on the path to understanding the universe, and there are others.
Basically, we are all egoists. It’s our degree of egoism that differentiates us. This said, I think 99% of us, including myself, have a hyper-inflated ego. Human beings never do anything without the reasonable expectation of some kind of reward (keep in mind that a simple smile can be a reward). It doesn’t mean that egoism is bad; it’s our nature. Our Creator wishes to bestow and created a creature that wishes to receive. We behave according to what we have been programmed to do.
Nevertheless, when your ego is not hyper-inflated, receiving so much bounty from Life always implies a sense of guilt, i.e., the sense that you’re receiving more than you deserve. This is also related to your confession video. The proper way to receive all the good that life brings about is to receive in order to bestow. If you start wishing to receive for the sole purpose of having more things to be thankful for, the guilt slowly goes away because you know you’re doing what the Creator expects of you.
In turn, our relationship with our fellow man is like a microcosm of our relationship with the Creator. Since the Creator does not need anything, save for us feeling happy and thankful for what we have, the only way to reciprocate for the good we receive is to give back to others. As you pointed out in another video, we are like cells of the same organism.
Why bad things happen to good people? The bad things are things we don’t like, and they happen to tell us we’ve done something wrong. When we feel we’ve done everything right and we still fail, often, our ego prevents us from seeing that failure necessarily implies a mistake on our part. That’s why we keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. Bad things are nothing more than a correction mechanism, and from that perspective, bad things allow us to see what’s wrong and correct it.
Then, what about the bad things we have no control over, such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes? There are two traditions that have been ignring each other for millenia that both came to the same conclusion. A 20th century geologist (and Jesuit priest) called Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Jewish Kabbalists. Father de Chardin found out that the sum of all human thoughts affect inanimate matter permanently, and he used geology to prove his case. He called the sum of human emotions ‘noosphere’. Needless to say, the pope forbade him to publish his works.
Kabbalists have been teaching for millenia that catastrophies are symptomatic of collective human egoism, and they make us suffer because this suffering makes people turn towards spirituality and ask themselves what’s wrong. Whatever negative emtions we harbour , they don’t just hurt ourselves individually, they even upset the Earth and the natural order of Nature. That’s why we see a lot of new environmental challenges happening right now.
Because the root-cause of the problem is inside each and everyone of us, no amount of government intervention will solve the problem. Look at poverty, social programmes of the past 100 years did not put an end to it. Governments can only put an end to the problems they’ve created in the first place, such as wars. They can’t stop poverty or environmental changes; only people can, collectively. Everything in the universe behaves according to pre-determined laws, save for human thoughts. If we can change those thoughts for the better, the quality of our relationships with others will improve, and the rest of the world along with it.
Thanks Davey for generating the discussion.
July 29, 2009 at 1:10 pm
People with bad intentions toward Matthew acted on those thoughts and they, in that instance, committed evil acts towards him. That cannot be undone. It was wrong. It was bad. It was evil. It does not have to end there.
Evil can ONLY be committed by people. It wasn’t the ‘Devil that made them do it’. It wasn’t their bad upbringing or situations in their lives. It was their choice, at that point in time, to decide to act in way that was not looking out for Matthew’s best good at the time.
The acts of evil were committed against Matthew. Our reaction can create good from that situation which cannot change. We can make sure that similar situations do not occur again. We can speak out against harm against someone else whether they are like us or very unlike us. We can educate. We can respect others’ choices to express themselves however they choose, so long as it is not going to harm someone else. We can defend those weaker than us. We can comfort those who have been harmed and those who have experienced loss because of the evil actions of others.
We can, also, though this is more difficult for many people who have been wronged, come to forgive those that committed the evil acts and not condemn them to a label of being evil to the core of their being. Hopefully, with forgiveness and education see them recognize how elementally wrong they were in their earlier actions and work towards making up for them with intentions and actions that work for everyone’s good.
For every tree burned down, maybe a forest will be planted.
(just my thoughts)
July 29, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Your commentary makes me think of an article I came across in the Toronto Star a couple of years ago. A Muslim woman was out with her 12 year old daughter. The girl was severely autistic. At the edge of a busy street the girl let go of her mother’s hand and ran into the street in the path of an oncoming automobile. She was struck and killed instantly.
For most people reading the story, this was an account of a devastating personal tragedy, not a good thing. Most certainly the girl’s family considered this a bad thing. Indeed, the mother was inconsolable, blaming herself for not holding more firmly to her daughter’s hand. Interestingly though, the girl’s father, while grief stricken, chose to cope with the loss in accepting it as the will of Allah or Kismet.
A Christian family confronted with a situation like this would likely try to cope in accepting it as Divine Providence. For the irreligious the standpoint of “s**t happens” put forth by Davey’s mother, presumably meaning blind chance, would likely apply.
July 29, 2009 at 1:37 pm
I love the way you write. It’s so clean and eloquent. Straight to the point, but also thought-provoking.
Much love! :] <3
July 29, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Davey, I’m Catholic, so I totally understand the typical answer the Church gives for why bad things or situations happen to good people. We’re told that its because of the detrimental presence of SIN in the world. And while this may be true, even this explanation may not really satisfy someone’s heart completely when they’re wondering why their mother suddenly died and they consult the advice of a priest…
So, you’re approach is encouraging and positive, as you’re commentaries always are! I think so much in life depends on how we choose to look at things, whether the glass is half-empty, or half-full, and you’re insight on that is right on! Keep doing what you do Davey Wavey! =D
July 29, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I have to disagree here .. I believe that the question is still there and the answer to it is there too. It just depends on oneself background and experiences. and there r good and bad things .. the way I see it, its how oneself reacts to an event. for example, If I broke my leg and I felt good about it .. then it is a good thing happened to me cuz it made me FEEL “good”. if it made me feel bad -normally- then it is a bad thing. despite the fact that I am good or bad. I am just saying here that there is the good and there is the bad.
moreover, if we want to say that there is no such thing as bad or good stuff as to our judgements then the whole question is wrong. I mean what is the “good” and who is the “bad” then ?!! if we cant make judgements about stuff then we cant make judegments about people too, can we ?!
yeah it is complicated and in some point of writing this I just dont know what the hell I am saying. lol
lets say its just a couple of ideas and thoughts .. and I usually have a hard time expressing myself .. hope u got my point here.
anyway, my answer to the question is 1. Karma, 2. it will serve a higher purpose in the future. my answer is based on religion background and faith. u might disagree but u have to have ur answer cuz this question shouldnt be frustrating, it should be simple.
after all there is no such thing as perfection and we certainly done bad things in our lives.
in the end, my advice is that lets not think about the past whether its good or bad .. lets just accept it cuz we cant change it but we can enjoy the present and hope for a better future.
July 29, 2009 at 8:59 pm
That actually makes a lot of sense. Although I know it mentally [intellectually], it doesn’t serve me well emotionally. I mean I have needs just like the next person, and having to take those needs and put them on hold seems “bad” to me. I could look at this the other way though, and say if I didn’t put them on hold, I would end up with someone who I don’t love, I don’t respect, and maybe miss out on a really great opportunity with someone I could love. Then, it is “good”
I know it is all in my head, but how do you heal your own thinking? That’s where you come in Davey. You allow me to step out of myself. Something I enjoy doing but seem not to get the chance to.
Thank you.
July 29, 2009 at 9:25 pm
That’s pretty deep stuff, I guess you could say that in a broader perspective all the bad stuff that happened in the world, big things like wars and stuff teach us to be better people, though to a person who lost everything in a war and couldn’t get on his feet afterwords and was poor and sick and died a horrible death, that won’t seem too convincing…
July 29, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I think stuff is stuff, but there are things that are better than others. Well, more specifically some things are better received in the present while others are better received in the future, when perhaps reflecting on mistakes or choices made in the past and appreciating the way things turned out, like you said about the man losing his job.
July 29, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Why do bad things happen to good people? Where do I start with his one? I’m not sure I can say all I want to say briefly but I’ll try.
First off, things are not good or bad. Neither are people. We may like or dislike them but that doesn’t make them good or bad. We – humans, that is – invented these terms to turn issues into moral issues. If you want to control people you have to have them think in absolutes. I don’t like something. I want people not to do this. I’ll use my influence to have people think it is evil. Those who are with me on this will be good. Those who disagree will be against us and therefore evil. These concepts are responsible for all the terrorism, holy wars, inquisitions, etc. that people have ever committed. The truth of any situation is either “I agree with that” or “I disagree with that”. Nothing more.
Secondly, things don’t happen to people. They just happen. Thinking that things happen TO ME just allows me to be a victim. It implies some intent on the part of God or the universe or whatever have you. I was responsible for an automotive collision a few months back. My initial reaction was to ask “Why is this happening to me?” It wasn’t. It just happened. And as your mom points out, s**t happens. I didn’t like it and it happened. I can be a victim or I can be responsible and live with it.
While I was responsible for that, I was not responsible when my house burned down. Lightning struck our house and burned it to the ground while my family was all on vacation. My stepmom’s initial reaction was anger and sadness and she asked “Why did this happen to us?” as if God Himself had sent the lightning bolt down to smite us and all our worldly possessions. She was literally crushed and she actually took it personally. When I hear someone being a victim these days I have to ask them how it’s working for them. The answer is typically “Not very well.” It’s a lot more empowering to acknowledge that something happened, I don’t like it, and I’m going to move forward anyway.
Things happen. Although the ‘why’ might be interesting, it is completely irrelevant to moving forward. You can’t drive a car by focussing on the rear view mirror. You will crash. While you may not be able to choose everything that happens, you can choose how you act in relation to it. You can choose to allow it to ‘be’ and then to move on. Conversely you can choose to resist it or to focus on it and to wonder why??? Choose powerfully.
July 30, 2009 at 6:55 am
I’m working on a book about this exact topic. I refer to it as the lemonade project. What do I do when life hands me a lemon? I make lemonade. This is a philosophy handed down from my great grandmother (along with “Liars go to Hell and burn forever!”, but that’s another book). The book is about how this has been implemented by members of my family, or not, and the outcomes. It has led me to have a renewed respect for the idea that we all create our own reality.
July 30, 2009 at 6:55 am
It would be pretty hard to argue that being the victim of a tsunami, or a holocaust, could be considered anything but bad. And many, many good people have been victims of these events or the like. And when I hear someone say, “Thank God I was spared,” or some such comment referring to a deity, I think, so your God picks and chooses. He must really have a problem with those millions of good people who perished.
July 30, 2009 at 6:57 am
And what the heck is a doctrine teacher? Glad I went to public school.
July 30, 2009 at 8:43 am
Doctrine = Indoctrinate. You are told what to believe, how to think. Fortunately, some people start to think for themselves despite the brainwashing efforts.
July 30, 2009 at 8:29 am
yea.. totally agree with you.
as a buddhist, i would like to say that your point of view is parallel with buddhism.
July 30, 2009 at 8:40 am
Evang…so it is.
You’re gettiong good at this.
Keep it up.
Be well,
July 30, 2009 at 8:51 am
Situations happen to everybody. It’s our attitude toward these situations that make a difference. If you respond to the situation, it’s a positive. If you react, it’s a negative. I do believe things do happen for a reason (that I may never know) and what goes around does come around. My suggestion is to stay postive and just look at the bigger picture. In every situation there is a positive if you want to find it. seanmagic1964@yahoo.com
July 30, 2009 at 9:54 am
Do bad things happen really to good people or are no really good people. The religious arguement is that we all sin from when we are born to when we die, so due to that doctorine we are all bad. I do not believe this and it is one of the reasons why I left my church when I came out. I had according to them committed the ultimate bad thing so when I had my stroke some in my church said it was gods punishment for being Gay. NOOOOO. They are totally misguided that is not what the bible states. I will not bore you by telling you all the ways in which cristianity should embrase all people no matter their sexuality and get some of these church leaders out of the old testament and into the new.
We all need to embrase EACH OTHER AND YES SOMETIMES BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN BUT DOT BLAME IT ON BEING BAD, BUT MERELY s**t EXCUSE ME HAPPENS
July 30, 2009 at 10:28 am
We need to look at whatever comes our way to find what we can learn from the expeience. Like you say “it” is not happening to you specifically; “it” just happened period and how we view it shapes us and our perceptions. If you look at all events and find what they each hold you can see the growth ment for just yourself.
July 30, 2009 at 10:41 am
well-im out going to work this morning-i get a flat tire.s**t happens-lug nut wrench is rusted and stripped from last front tire-need a new one-s**t happens-neighbours own in my condo building-next building-mostly renters-they move in and out-drug deals and activity-comings and goings-neighbours seem to get flat tires from time to time-police dont patrol enough but village wants their fees for vehicle stickers-yes s**t happens-but this can be avoided.good and bad happens all the time.s**t happens.
July 30, 2009 at 10:44 am
I think that is a good way of looking at it, however, it misses the fact that although it is a perspective thing we are still in ourselves experiencing it. Down the line there may be a silver lining down the road, however, the experience that we have itself for that time is bad. Nelson Mandela being tortured for 10 years was a bad experience and although it most likely forged him into the leader that he is today, that experience was still pretty awful. I understand what you are saying when you say that the end result my counteract the badness that is happening and therefore to judge something as bad or good is all a subjective folly, however, for the situation that we are in whether good or bad is in the experience that we ourselves experience. So, good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people is all because life without experiences is devoid of life. So I guess I agree with your parents in that s**t happens, however necessary or unnecessary it is. Which doesn’t devalue the situation, it just shows that life has to have its ups and downs to be worthy of living and recognizing the beauty of it…..
July 30, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Wow, what a post. I never really thought of it in that way before. I always thought that one thing led to another, so it wasn’t exactly bad, it was a learning experience. But this improved my perspective. Great post Mr. Davey Wavey.
July 30, 2009 at 3:36 pm
A teacher and two studnets are seated by a small stream. The teacher tells the students to sit facing each other and then tells each to close their eyes. The teacher reaches into the the stream and plucks out a stone, puts in in the palm of his hand and holds it directly between the two students.
He becons the first student to open his eyes and describe the stone.
The student looks at the stone and describes what he sees. “This stone is smooth and grey, polished by the ravegaes of time and the force of the stream”.
“Very good” said the teacher. He then tells the first student to close his eyes again, and then after a moment tells the second student to perform the same exercise.
“This stone is rough and craggy full of jagged edges, obviously newly fallen from a larger stone.”
“Very good” said the teacher. “Now, tell me how it can be that you were both describing the same stone.”
The students looked perplexed, as clearly they were seeing completely different attributes.
The teacher told them to open their eyes as he put the stone on the ground between them. It was then that the students saw that one side of the stone was polished and smooth while the other was jagged and sharp.
“You were limited by your self imposed perspective.” said the teacher. “Never did I tell you that you could not get up and move around to examine all sides of the stone. You limited yourself by assuming that what you saw was the entire truth.”
“You must strive to see all sides of any situaion to realize the whole truth.”
…
This principle also forms the basis of a taoist meditation. In the meditation you visualize a cube suspended in the air. In your mind you must strive to see all sides of the cube at once without “Unwrapping” the into a flat plane.
At first it is very frustrating, but can be very rewarding if persued.
July 30, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Two rules for contented living:
#1. People misbehave. Get used to it.
#2. Stuff happens. Get used to that, too.
July 30, 2009 at 5:13 pm
#3. Inspire others to live life fully, not just contented.
July 30, 2009 at 5:12 pm
The following story one of my mentors shared with me perfectly illustrates this point, I think:
There are two twins, age 7. One always sees things in an optimistic light and one always sees things in a pessimistic light. Every Christmas, they Optimistic one wakes up at 6am, jumping and happy and excited for the day and the presents he’ll receive. The other twin always wake up, groaning about how early it is and how they always get the same gifts, or else they have to share gifts because they’re twins, and how much he doesn’t even like Christmas because of that fact.
They both get downstairs and sneak into the living room and see all the presents Santa left them and he Optimistic one is so excited he can’t help himself and enrolls his twin into opening one of their gifts before their parents get up. Of course, the Pessimistic twin is upset because the gift they choose to open is addressed to both of them — so he has to share his gift, YET AGAIN.
They open it together and inside they find a large pile of poop.
The Pessimistic twin turns around to head upstairs, grumbling, “See, I told you Christmas sucks, all we got was a big pile of poop!” and the Optimistic twin starts running around, looking everywhere and screams “There has GOT to be a pony around here somewhere!!!”
So we can choose whether our experiences are Poop or Pony.
July 30, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Beautiful ^__^… thank you
July 30, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Hi Davey, hi everybody,
Giving an opinion on that is a bit difficult for me but if the subject “why do bad things happen to good people?” was only a question of “what is it for the catholic way of thinking?”, I wouldn’t have anything to say, only because of my lack of knowledge of that “way of thinking”. Religious way isn’t it ?
But trying to “answer” the question in a more general human point of view, what you say, Davey, is “true” : “there is no universal good nor bad”, they only depends on the way you see things at the moment you take the look at them. Anyway, I think that you didn’t really “deal” with the problem embedded in that idea that “bad things happens to good people”.
What I understand of that is that we may consider first a certain set of “rules” that determines what is bad and what is good : say, what can be done (is good) and what is forbidden (is bad) for example. Keeping that idea in mind, may be “why do bad things happen to good people?” can be stated another way like “why does bad things happen more frequently to good people?”… isn’t it the meaning ?
If it is, then I’ll take an example. You are playing a game in whick you roll a dice and the greater wins. You obtain 4, the other one obtains 5, you loose ok ; and that is bad (?). It is not a subjective thing but only “following the rules”.
If now a cheater rolls a “cheated dice”, the chances he wins if greater than yours. Treating that cheater like a bad person may be common judgment even though it is only a “judgment” on him.
And in that example, cheaters (bad people) will win more often and thus we may say “cheaters wins more oftenly than non cheaters”. Stated in an other way, considering loosing as “bad thing”, you can say “bad things happen more oftenly to good people”, the non cheaters. Isn’t it ?
By the same way, considering a couple of two persons living together with the same (and “explicit”) rule that can be : you’re mine, I’m yours and no one can cheat on the other…
If ever the first cheats on the second, that second person may be considered as the good person, the first, the bad and then again : “s**t” has happened to the good one ; the second person. Only because the first one cheated (and the is “bad”).
One can also say that a bad thing will happen for that first person also. But hey, it’s a bit out of the subject.
In other words, the statement has a meaning only if you consider “people” of the same “way of seeing thing” and with similar judgments. No ?
July 30, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I agree partly with what you say. I think stuff does happen but I think there are bad things. I don’t think anyone would classify rape as a good thing.
However, I agree that life is about choices and the way we decide how to deal with situations. We can choose either to be victoms of cirucmstance and allow everything to get us down or we see things that happen as speed bumps along the way.
Sometimes it seems that we just can’t get through, that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and then something happens and suddenly your through and you are stronger than before. But I find that when there has been something really bad in my life the people who are closest to me are there to help and that has made all the difference.
I take my life experiences as valuable no matter what they are becuase they make me the person I am today. People can judge me anyway they like but I know who I am and what I am about. I value my friends and family because when I need them they are there and I know I can count on them.
July 30, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Heck, forget Sonya Sotomayor!, here’s Chief Justice Davey Wavey.
July 31, 2009 at 12:59 am
More hypocritical nonsense from the Sage of Delusion.
July 31, 2009 at 11:50 am
Why hypocritical?
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July 31, 2009 at 9:52 am
Oh, Davey… Just because the ‘Dictionary says so’, doesn’t mean ‘judgment’ without the E is a good word.
But otherwise, magnificent post!
July 31, 2009 at 2:23 pm
This post reminds me of a Toaist/Buddhist story I’ve read in a few different versions over the years. It’s made me see life occurences in a different way since I encountered it – hope it sheds some light on life for anyone reading it now for the first time, too:
An old farmer had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.
“Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.
“We’ll see,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
“How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.
“We’ll see,” replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
“We’ll see,” answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
“We’ll see” said the farmer.
…. I think other versions I’ve read went on for even more episodes beyond that, but the point is pretty clear.
Namaste!
PD
August 2, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Doc: If ya don’t-like the nature of the debates, then “no one is forcing you!!” to come onto Davey’s blog. __davvi !
August 2, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Doc: If ya don’t-like the nature of the debates, then, _like, _ “no one is forcing you!!” to come onto Davey’s blog. __davvi !
August 2, 2009 at 8:26 pm
At 2009-07-31,05:59:48 jupiteron: If ya don’t-like who you-call, the “Sage of Delusion” then, _like, _”Get-the-f**k-Off!!!” Davey’s blog. __davvi !
August 4, 2009 at 4:48 am
I completely agree with you Davey, it isn’t just bad or good things happen to good or bad people, its just what we hear happens and our point of view. Most times though its that we actually hear about the good persons checkbook being stolen or their house burning down, but the same thing can happen to someone with the label bad, like a drug dealers house may burn down, but if the public knows what he does for a living and then hear the story, many people will have the thought, “He deserved it,” or something similar. So yes I completely agree with you, and it is based on someones perspective…