Thursday, July 26, 2012

Suffering, Buddha, and Some Recent Tragedies


            Most of us wrestle with the human experience of suffering. We may do so in a quite personal way due to our own experiences. We may do so because of what we see other people experience.

            Buddhism will tell the story of Gautama Siddhartha (living in the 500’s BC), a prince surrounded by luxury during the first part of his life. Yet, in his twenties, he decided to explore the world that his father did not allow him to see. As he went in his chariot with one of the workers of his father, he saw a person alongside the road who was ill, then he saw a person bent over from aging, and then he saw a funeral procession. After each incident, he asked his companion whether this was the only person to suffer. Of course, his companion responded that every human being suffers sickness, aging, and death. With this experience, he would be begin a spiritual journey that would end when he “awakened,” the term in India being “Buddha.”

            My point here is not to suggest the Buddhist answer for human suffering, which, while having valuable insights is not sufficient, I think. My point is that we know what Gautama experienced. We have experiences that remind us of the fragility of human life. We have experiences that remind us of how broken human life is.

            I have been thinking of how hesitant we are to accept human brokenness, especially its sinfulness, evil and twistedness. We try to explain it, especially with psychology and sociology. We want to know its reasons. We want to make sense of senseless human behavior. Frankly, that is how the human mind works. It reflects why we keep exploring mysterious things, looking for reasons and explanations. It seems as if when evil raises its ugly head, our response is surprise. I know I am. Yet, anymore, my response is also, “Oh no, not again.” I have seen it often. Many of the people reading this article would have seen it as well.

            Is everything that happens the will of God? My answer is simple. It is never God’s will to harm, hurt, or damage. People oppose what God wants all the time. You and I have done so. Of course, our world has its suffering, but God also has a purpose that neither suffering nor death can define or limit. I think Paul was saying something like this when he wrote in Romans 8:28 that God works in everything for good. He did not say that everything that happens is good. However, God providentially works through everything, including evil and suffering. Karl Barth said it well. To refer to the providential care of God is to say that the world is not in strange hands. Rather, the world, and your life, are in the kind and loving hands of your divine parent.

            You may have already guessed that I am writing in this way because of the terrible shooting in Aurora, CO. I am also thinking of the terrible abuse scandal at Penn State University and its cover-up by their football program and university leadership. I realize many other issues are involved in both incidents, but I am focusing on spiritual matters here. In both cases, we see the way evil works. Evil works through power intimidating others and taking advantage of a situation. As Bishop Michael Coyner (Indiana United Methodist Church) recently put it, this is why evil is cowardly. It will rarely confront strength to strength directly. It will find weakness, and exploit it for its own ends.

            I am sure all our prayers are with the people and families of these two recent events. I am also sure that many people right here face their own battle with the broken human condition. I have the confidence that if you are, God is along your side to help you wage the battle.