I hope you’re curious. What IS a question that doesn’t have an answer? It’s not a riddle. It’s one word. And, you and I and everyone who is sitting and reading this blog has expressed this question over and over again without any definitive conclusion. The question is simply this: Why?
All of us have asked: “Why?” “Why did he/she have to die?” “Why is there so much suffering in the world?” “Why did disaster strike the Pacific hill side multiple times with the loss of homes and lives?” “Why can’t he/she accept my point of view?” “Why can’t people get along, accept differences and express compassion?”
Blaming God or Spirit or whatever is your belief seems to be the best explanation for the why question. “Why did God….allow this happen? Even with blame, the answer remains a mystery. There simply is no answer. All we can do is consider possibilities, draw our own conclusions and debate with others to gather a wide range of opinions. Even then, the mystery remains.
Journalistic reporting overflows with bad news.
At the top of my article, I specifically addressed the “Why?” question. I guess that’s because with so many years of experience and so much exposure to confusing situations we still find ourselves when we watch or read in disbelief, the question remains the same: Why? “How could something so horrible happen?” “How can mankind disregard the rights of others?” “How is it possible that alleged perpetrators seem to ‘get away with murder’? “Why is life so unfair? “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
What’s really of particular interest to me is that we never say “Why?” each time something wonderful happens! For example, can you image someone saying, “Why did she win the lottery?” “Why did he land that job?” We’re more likely to say, “He/she has worked so hard and for so long to secure a job – why hasn’t it worked out?
Closure. No matter how many years one has, there is never a suitable answer to the unthinkable. I was born in Hartford. A few years ago, when the horrific attack on the children of Newtown, CT became headline news, I asked the why question over and over again. “Why did God allow pain and suffering?” “Why the attack on innocence?” “Why do we continue to tolerate the lack of gun control?” “Why God, why?”
The only answer I can ever come up with to the “Why?” of anything that troubles me is to trust and have faith in the unknown. We simply will never know why something happens. We can only trust and have faith that Source knows what’s best. You and I think we know what’s best. We think if we were in charge, we would play out circumstances differently. The difference is that we are not in charge nor are we in control. The only thing we can control is our own behavior. We can pray. We can express compassion. We can work toward creating a better world through service to others. We can possess unshakable faith that no matter what or why, there is always an unexplainable reason.
I challenge you to look for the “What?” behind every “Why?” “Is there something I can do for someone else when the need arises?” “Am I being kind enough, loving enough and compassionate toward others?” “Do I demonstrate the best possible example of unconditional acceptance?”
There is a beginning and ending to everything. There is sunrise and sunset. There is birth and there is death. Particularly as we age, we are moving through our years in lightning speed. We have no way of knowing what one moment, one hour or even one day will bring. All we can do is live with the utmost integrity, do our part to create a more loving humanity and accept the “Why?” that life throws at us with unwavering faith. All of us need to find our own peace in accepting and knowing there simply isn’t an answer to the “Why?”
I Dare You
Another pink month has come and gone. For many, it is cause to celebrate healing, to share compassion with those still going through the breast cancer journey and for all of us to do what we can to establish a cure. It’s my 3rd year wearing pink daily and the sisterhood of those who understand what that means is strong and endearing.