Life

I am often asked “why God allows us, to do the things we do to each other?” I look at the person who is asking me the question and I asked them what they are talking about. They say that they are talking about all the wars and all the killing that goes on, and the huge number of people dying each day from accidents, cancer and other diseases, and even the challenges of just living a “normal” life? I am asked about the children “why do they have to die so young?

As I think about how to answer the questions above, I can’t help thinking about the words of Shakespeare who said, “the world is a stage, and we are the actors.”

If we accept Shakespeare’s words as having some kind of truth to them, then the answer to the questions about why all the ups and downs in our lives, and why so many are dying is answered. You and I are here to play our part and when it’s time for us to leave the stage, we do. It doesn’t matter how young or how old we are or whether we are healthy or sick we have done our part and it’s time for us to leave – stage right. When you think of life in this way, it makes greater sense about the happenings in our life, and we are able to take a more enlightened look at our life and our place on the stage of life.

You may ask about the Hitler’s, Casers and dictators who have ordered so many people to be killed. But they are here to play their part even if that part is to bring chaos and strife into a world that is struggling to be at peace. Why? Their part is to show humanity a contrast between what is and what can be – good verses evil. To bring the human race to a point of knowledge that will, one day, produce peace and harmony by showing humanity that there is another way – and it is not their way. Their part was to remind us that history repeats itself, and that we are the only ones who can break the ever changing repetition.

Then you may ask why did he/she have to die so young? Why from such a terrible illness? Why, for no apparent reason? Why was that child allowed to get so close to the water that they fell in and drowned? Why did that child get away from its mother hand and run out into the street to be hit by a car? Or simply got sick one day and died. Again, we have entered this world to play out our part on the stage. We have given of ourselves to our loved ones; to the hundreds of people who have known us, to history, to those who care for our physical and emotional well being. Even the doctors and nurses who have taken care of us during our illness play their part in the care of the sick that needed their expertise. But! But! You say. It seems that we still don’t understand the why.

I cannot give you an answer that will satisfy you completely; but to say that we are here to do our part. We may be on stage as a prop attendant to make sure that the actors have the proper back drop for them to play their part as a military man, a doctor, lawyer, mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, street cleaner, janitor, sick child or even a sick elder, etc. etc.

We are indeed here to play our part on the stage of life until we are ready to leave.