And more disturbingly, there are too many callously brutal people in the world for anyone’s comfort. From Fashion to Suicide: Why We Imitate Each Other, Finding Purpose in the Randomness of Cancer, Purpose, Meaning, and Morality Without God. As I’ve stated elsewhere, in my psychiatric clinic I am not in the business of changing people's religious worldviews, unless they ask me to help them do so and if it's appropriate and helpful to do so. “We could bear nearly any pain or disappointment if we thought there was a reason behind it, a purpose, to it.” — Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. According to Kabbalah, the separation of the less powerful, fragmented aspects of God from the transcendent, perfect God occurred during the act of creation of the universe. How do I keep my faith in these times? Reviewed by Kaja Perina. Or, more simply and crudely put, “Sh*t happens.”. I try to express gratitude to them for sharing their life experience with me and for teaching me profound lessons about the human condition. I am primarily in the business of helping people to function better and to be less distressed. Ralph Lewis, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and a consultant at the Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto. Parts of this article are taken from: Ralph Lewis, Finding Purpose in a Godless World: Why We Care Even If The Universe Doesn’t (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2018). . There is much we can do to alleviate each other’s suffering when adversity strikes. 3. What Do Women Think of Removing the “Likes” on Instagram? I had seen how these get deployed by people facing serious threat and uncertainty—all the more so when those people's fates are being arbitrarily determined by random and trivial factors that seem to mock the significance of their lives. This provoked a crisis of faith for Kushner, who is a rabbi. Moses never got to see the Promised Land. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. So when she was diagnosed in 2005 in her late thirties with a very aggressive life threatening cancer, she never dwelled on questions like ‘Why did this happen?’ or ‘Why me?’ When people asked her if she struggled with such questions or if she felt a sense of cosmic injustice, her characteristically matter-of-fact reply was “Why not me?”. Take your righteous anger and turn it into a force for doing good. 4. But my clinical work as a psychiatrist had honed an ever-present awareness of the power of denial and wishful thinking as defense mechanisms. Our brains have a natural proclivity for coherent stories—grand narratives with an overarching point and a satisfying end: things must happen for specific reasons, they must have a point. A similar, more elaborate idea is expressed in Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), according to which only partial aspects of God are contained within this universe—less powerful aspects of the perfect, greater God. The theme of this sermon series is the power of hope. The theological problem of trying to explain why evil and suffering exist in the world is referred to as theodicy. Or see this link for a very brief video providing a synopsis of the book. … In this little world in which we live, it was necessary for God to give way or contract his power and presence to make space for free will and allow humans to help shape the universe—God created humans as partners in the process of trying to perfect the world. A similar, more elaborate idea is expressed in Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), according to which only partial aspects of God are contained within this universe—less powerful aspects of the perfect, greater God. We will understand our role and the reasons for everything—the purpose of it all. Not that we were really surprised to be facing such a crisis: neither of us had illusions of immunity to the kinds of adversity we had all too often seen hit others. I had seen how these get deployed by people facing serious threat and uncertainty—all the more so when those people's fates are being arbitrarily determined by random and trivial factors that seem to mock the significance of their lives. The belief that life is random is unsettling, but it can be emotionally liberating. Jealous Mothers and Their Daughters: The Last Dirty Secret? The question of "why do bad things happen to good people" has a lot to do with how we look at existence. Once we come to terms with the universe’s indifference, we realize more acutely that we have only each other to rely on. But fortunately, most people are caring, and the overwhelming majority are capable of caring when they can be taught to relate to other people’s predicament and perspective. Abba Father, we thank you for … I say things like "I'm not a religious person myself, but there are some wise metaphors that my religious family, friends and colleagues have shared with me which you might find helpful and consoling.". The book provides an accessible understanding of the insights from disparate, cutting edge scientific fields that lead today’s scientists to confidently state that the universe, life and human consciousness are the wondrous products of fundamentally random, unguided processes. The transcendent essence of God is referred to in Kabbalah as Ein Sof, meaning “without end,” infinite, and it is said to transcend the universe. I try to express gratitude to them for sharing their life experience with me and for teaching me profound lessons about the human condition. Or see this link for a very brief video providing a synopsis of the book. I realized that I was still trying to come to terms with the full extent to which randomness rules our lives. Severe adversity seemed almost overdue for us. ), is what science is actually all about. But I do not believe the same things about Him that I did years ago, when I was growing up or when I was a theological student. Did I do something to cause it?” Many people are inclined to wonder if they are being punished by God for some past transgressions, or to ponder if there is some intended mysterious plan or higher reason for their misfortune, perhaps some intended lesson in their suffering. I also assure them that I will pass on the lessons I am learning from them to other patients as well as to my students. He summarizes how science has come to view the universe and absolutely everything in it as the product of entirely spontaneous, unguided processes, and why this is actually a highly motivating realization for humankind. In this world you will have tribulation, meaning difficult times. . When needed, I offer consoling religious ideas to help patients whose faith has been shaken by cruel adversity and who are asking "Why did this terrible thing happen to me when I've tried so hard to be a good person?" If ever there were a time to stop beating yourself up for being human, it is now. There is nothing special about the causation of things that we humans judge as “bad.” The question of why bad things happen to good people can be reframed (as Karin’s response to the question posed to her implied): Why would bad things not happen to good people? 2. Work with this material daily. So keep asking the question, why do bad things happen to good people. Like me, Karin worked in a helping profession, so we had both witnessed much tragedy in our work, as well as among friends and relatives. God uses pain to get our attention. The central quandary is this: “Why do terrible things happen in a world governed by an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God?” How can God simultaneously possess all three of these qualities and yet allow bad things to happen to good people, and with such frequency and such savage intensity? This belief is a double-edged sword: it can be reassuring and comforting but can also lead to disillusionment, anguish, and feelings of abandonment by God, under conditions of cruel adversity. When we act kindly, it also gives meaning to our own life, as we see that we matter to others. In my psychiatric practice, I have observed that the belief that life events are somehow intended can have powerful effects on motivation, both positive and negative. In my psychiatric practice, I have observed that the belief that life events are somehow intended can have powerful effects on motivation, both positive and negative. People can and do care, even if the universe doesn’t, Purposewithoutgod.com: website for the book, articles, videos, podcasts. After all, seeing good people suffer is the most horrible thing to witness. The partial, immanent aspects of God that we are said to experience in our world are sometimes likened to mere sparks of the ultimate transcendent light, trapped within the material of creation. Why do good people suffer? The belief that life is random is unsettling, but it can be emotionally liberating. I no longer hold God responsible for illnesses, accidents, and natural disasters, because I realize that I gain little and I lose so much when I blame Go… Answer: grace. See this YouTube video link for an engaging Power Point presentation in which Dr. Lewis explains how a family health crisis focused him on coming to terms with the outsized role of randomness in life, and to wrestle with the question of whether the scientific worldview of a fundamentally random universe is nihilistic. So when she was diagnosed in 2005 in her late thirties with a very aggressive life threatening cancer, she never dwelled on questions like ‘Why did this happen?’ or ‘Why me?’ When people asked her if she struggled with such questions or if she felt a sense of cosmic injustice, her characteristically matter-of-fact reply was “Why not me?”. People can and do care, even if the universe doesn’t. Among other topics, the book also discusses in more depth how people cope with adversity, contrasting religious and secular coping strategies and beliefs. Jesus stood sinless, yet offered His life so that we might find forgiveness and join our Father in heaven. Among other topics, the book also discusses in more depth how people cope with adversity, contrasting religious and secular coping strategies and beliefs. Often, hope is not understood, but hope is the parent of both faith and love. See this YouTube video link for an engaging Power Point presentation in which Dr. Lewis explains how a family health crisis focused him on coming to terms with the outsized role of randomness in life, and to wrestle with the question of whether the scientific worldview of a fundamentally random universe is nihilistic. Christians believe that this life on earth is only the land of shadows and that real life hasn't yet begun. Accepting randomness frees people from excessive self-blame, and in so doing also empowers them. The “bad”, as difficult as it is, results in spiritual good. Another reason God can allow bad things to happen to good people is to teach them lessons they might not learn any other way, to discipline them, to improve their character, and to encourage them to depend on him more. To be clear, this is not my own worldview, but I offer it here to help my religious readers, like my religious patients, to reconcile the faith that is so important to them, with the deeply troubling problem of evil. He is limited in what He can do by laws of nature and by the evolution of human nature and human moral freedom.”3 Kushner went on to propose: “Let me suggest that the bad things that happen to us in our lives do not have a meaning when they happen to us. Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People – Understanding Reincarnation Journey of Life , Life Hacks , Videos Last year the Global Research Society and the Institute for Social Research conducted surveys world-wide and found that 51% of the people believe in reincarnation, while 23 percent believe that we only will “cease to exist”. Naturally, they wondered why they had to suffer so. That's a good life. 2. According to Kabbalah, the separation of the less powerful, fragmented aspects of God from the transcendent, perfect God occurred during the act of creation of the universe. Some of my cancer patients are facing less lucky outcomes than Karin, and the psychotherapeutic work turns from reassurance or tolerating uncertainty to defining their legacy—how their life has mattered to all the other lives they have touched. How precisely this could happen—how such astonishing and ‘clever’ complexity could have arisen and developed out of fundamental randomness and simplicity (and perhaps ultimately out of nothingness! Yes, as counterintuitive as it is, it is indeed fully plausible that the universe and all the complexity and life and consciousness contained within it could in fact have emerged and evolved entirely spontaneously and unguided. He wrote In this little world in which we live, it was necessary for God to give way or contract his power and presence to make space for free will and allow humans to help shape the universe—God created humans as partners in the process of trying to perfect the world. But pain insists … We are also a story-telling species. In the end, it seems, God does not give an answer. Posted Oct 16, 2019 As the Nobel laureate physicist Steven Weinberg commented, “If there is a God that has special plans for humans, then He has taken very great pains to hide His concern for us.”2, Rabbi Kushner’s proposed solution, in his now-famous book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, was to drop the belief in God’s omnipotence: “I believe in God. Steven Weinberg, Dreams of a Final Theory (New York: Pantheon Books, 1992), p. 251. Why Is It So Hard to Report Sexual Assault? He gives himself, at the Last Supper, on the cross, in the resurrection, in the Holy Eucharist and his everlasting gift of love. We see a tangle of fabric that appears random and purposeless. Thanks to a whole lot of dumb luck, and some remarkable medical breakthroughs, we made it through—though one is never really out of the woods with cancer, and we have had more scares in recent years. Bad circumstances occur because of lack of proper knowledge in how to avoid dangerous places, how to choose acquaintances wisely, and how to deal with toxic people. 1. Quite often, this actually leads me to actively try to strengthen people's ties to their religious faith and reconnect them to their religious community, especially if that is their main support system. 4. Bad things do happen to good people. “Why did this happen?” and “Why me?” are therefore natural and common questions asked by many people when faced with a sudden adverse event, such as a diagnosis of cancer. I say things like "I'm not a religious person myself, but there are some wise metaphors that my religious family, friends and colleagues have shared with me which you might find helpful and consoling.". First, Jesus clearly taught that many of His blessings fall upon all people regardless of their behavior or response toward Him. . We see a tangle of fabric that appears random and purposeless. Ralph Lewis, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and a consultant at the Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto. . When You’re Not the Smartest Person in the Room, What to Do When You're Not "Feeling It" Anymore, Psychology Today © 2021 Sussex Publishers, LLC. Should Mentally Ill Patients Have the Right to Euthanasia? ), is what science is actually all about. What does the Bible teach concerning this issue? According to this view, God may nevertheless still be at each person's side comforting them and giving them strength during times of adversity (an idea also invoked in the famous "Footprints in the Sand" poem). Good and Evil Why do evil thing happen to good people? As a meaning-seeking species, we tend to process events in terms of what they mean to us: is it good or bad for us? The way we usually perceive things is like this: A "good life" means that I make a comfortable living, I enjoy good health, and then I die peacefully at age 80. But we can redeem these tragedies from senselessness by imposing meaning on them. Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People (New York: Schocken Books, 1981). Can Life Have Meaning in a Random Universe? How precisely this could happen—how such astonishing and ‘clever’ complexity could have arisen and developed out of fundamental randomness and simplicity (and perhaps ultimately out of nothingness! My wife Karin is a much more practically-minded, down-to-earth person than I am. Once that unambiguous conclusion from science is fully grasped, then the mystery of why bad things happen to good people simply evaporates. Rabbi Harold Kushner, When Bad Things Happen to Good People (New York: Schocken Books, 1981). 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