Monday, July 6, 2009

Why Can't Good People Catch a Break?

Sometimes asking the right questions is as important as being brutally honest with the answers. They tell us that if you pray to God that you will eventually get what you pray for. Others tell us that there is some unseen flow called karma that ensures doing good will cause good to return, and that bad will lead to bad. It’s very easy to want to believe such things.

However, some have questioned how a God could allow tragic events to happen to good people. Personally, I know of enough bad things happening to good people to question this thing called karma. If the rules of the game are not fair, then why would you want to stick to the rules? I’ve been struggling with this question for years, and now I think I’ve seen enough to take on an honest attempt to answer this question.

Life’s Not Fair

At one time I was an extreme optimist, but life has battered me down enough times to temper this optimism down a bit. I try to balance being an optimist with being a realist, but sometimes I find myself being quite pessimistic. The more that I live and see what life can do to people and what it already has done, sometimes I question the notion of karma, or simply question the goodness in people.

I have a friend who is the most wonderful woman. She's kind, caring, and beautiful. And she's one of the FEW genuinely sweet people left in the world. And more than anything, she wants to start a family of her own. And each time she gets close, it seems like her world is turned upside down and her heart breaks again. And I just want to punch the person in the face who did it. But instead, she smiles, tells them she's happy for them, and cries on the inside. And I'm tired of seeing her hurt. It's not fair.

What about those in life who may not be happy with the cards they've been delt? Maybe they aren't happy where they are in life, but they muddle through each day because people in their life depend on them. They continue to do the right thing by other people, and suck up their misery for the sake of another person's happiness. They pour themselves into some aspect of their life, so they can try to forget that they aren't truly happy with the way their life has turned out...

There are people out there who cheat, steal, lie, and do various other evil things and never so much as bat an eye. And then there are those who sacrifice what would make them happy in life, simply because it's the right thing to do.

Consequences

I have seen many people who were once good individuals, but the unfairness of life has jaded them and influenced them to be the kind of people that they are now. I do sincerely believe that we all have some inherent good in us, but sometimes it’s difficult to keep that good in us when bad things happen. Sometimes there are events that happen to us that we don’t deserve and can’t control, but we can control how we respond to them.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Because it helps them to see how to make this world a better place. Because that’s what separates the truly good people from those who only think they are good people. Bad things happen to good people because it is a necessary part of making a good person great.

Knowing this is what helps get me through each day.

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