When I lived in Philadelphia I studied with a rabbi. I remember him telling a story (was it from the Talmud? I'm not sure; it sounds like it was). Anyway, there were two rabbis arguing (they do that a lot). One said he thought it would have been better if God had not created man. The other said he thought it was good that God created man. They left it up to us to decide.
I told the rabbi I tended to agree with the first rabbi, that it would have been better if God had not created man. I had seen so many bad things happen. I guess you could say I was doubting my faith in humankind. I had decided I liked animals better than people.
The rabbi spoke to me about man and his place in this world. (When I say "man" I mean men and women.) We discussed the nature of evil in the world, and why bad things happen to good people. We talked about stories of heroes who come to the rescue of others, and about men and women who have done worthy things. I finally agreed with him that there are more good people than bad people in the world. Every time I see something like what happened in Boston yesterday, I remind myself of that conversation.
3 comments:
Yes, a good lesson, and one worth remembering when bad things happen.....
Somehow, we more easily understand attacks on military or political targets. A soft target where people are having fun seems baser. I wonder what the motivation of the bombers will turn out to have been?
Rachel, I'm glad I can remember there is good, even when bad things happen.
Artist, it just seems incomprehensible why anyone would want to attack unsuspecting innocents. It is indeed very hard to understand.
Post a Comment