Suffering.

A man asked his friend, "Why does God allow so much suffering, pain, and sadness to occur in the world?"

His friend replied, "Why don't you ask Him yourself?"

And, the first man says, "Because I am afraid God might ask me the same question."

I went to church yesterday, which I hate to admit was my first time in a while, and the pastor touched on an issue that I have been struggling with--why God allows so much suffering and heartbreak? Since moving to Bolivia, I have struggled with this idea as I see families living in desperate poverty, a type of poverty I had never seen before.

I ask God why the children I work with have had such heartbreaking, devastating, traumatic pasts that continue to haunt them? I ask why parents leave their babies in trashcans and parks, on the street and in public bathrooms? I continue to ask why families do not have enough food and water, basic rights for all mankind? I ask why 12 year olds have to make extremely life choices that I, as a 24 year old, have never had to even think about? I ask why we all do not live in a world with more justice, more equality, more love, and less jealousy, less hate, and less inequity?

The list goes on and on, but I realized sitting in church that God is not the only on responsible for the suffering that occurs. We are, as human beings, responsible for the happiness, as well as the pain, of others. We have a duty to ensure others are not suffering, which may include distributing wealth more equally or donating extra money we possess, living a more practical lifestyle to ensure others are surviving or helping raise awareness about certain issues.

As Ghandi once said, "Live simply so that others may simply live."



Photos:
1. http://chrisbonoan.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-early-2004-my-father-was-diagnosed.html
2. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3367/3554672929_6f1ce27e65.jpg