Suffering and reincarnation
Why do we suffer? I know this topic has been covered again and again, especially in church. Do we suffer so that we may become more Christ-like? Do we suffer so that we might become stronger? Perhaps. My theory is, and it really isn’t a lot different, that we suffer so that we might recognize pleasure and joy when we encounter them. You might ask why it would matter. Are pleasure and joy not selfish experiences?
This should be an easy one for the Christians out there, as one way to get others to see the Christ in us is to be a light for others. Imagine how people react when you are miserable and it shows: they tend to shy away, because, after all, who wants to be brought down by someone else’s misery? But if you can share the joy of God, then even the skeptics will wonder why you’re smiling all the time. A person who experiences pleasure and joy can share them.
A person who suffers but is still capable of experiencing pleasure and joy is far more sensitive to the good things in life, I believe. It doesn’t really matter whether you were born into wealth or were born poor because these sensations (joy and suffering) are internal and relative to the person experiencing them. So a pauper living in Bombay has just as much of a chance to be a light as, say, Paris Hilton. If you ever wondered why Jesus wasn’t born in the age of mass media, then perhaps you can see my point when you understand that Jesus gets pretty good exposure these days.
And that brings up another point. Did Jesus have a mere 30-some years to make an impact? Do we have no more than the span of our lives? Not everyone has the characteristics necessary to be as brilliant a light as Jesus was. I believe there is a possibility that we are each given an opportunity to experience the heights of joy and pleasure and the depths of suffering, and if we don’t experience the full gamut of these experiences in one lifetime, then we might have another lifetime to experience them. If you can believe that Jesus was risen from the dead, then why can’t the same thing happen to us?
Have you ever heard someone say she/he was born in the wrong age? I have known people who felt they belonged in medieval times or in the 1950s. I read about a young woman who went to England “for the first time,” but suddenly felt at home when she arrived there, as if she had been there all her life – but during the times that Charles Dickens wrote about. In fact, I’ve read a lot about reincarnation and people who have memories from a past lives. It makes sense to me that the most enlightened people, the wisest of the wise, are those who have had lifetimes to develop their experiences and understanding of human suffering and joy.
I believe that there is a reason for a baby to be born with a deformity that causes her/his death just months after entering this world. I believe there is a reason a young woman gets brutally raped and murdered in Florida. I believe there is a reason some people seem to be able to get away with murder. I believe there is a reason a person can live to be more than 100 years old. I know there is a reason for us to celebrate the good things in life, and there is a reason for us to be with other people and share the good things in life. Imagine a baby who lives just two months before dying, then coming back as a person who lives to be 90+ years old. That person will most likely know a thing or two about suffering and joy. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I hope that we all have the opportunity to live our worldly lives to the fullest before (and sometimes at the same time that) we join God in His realm.
This should be an easy one for the Christians out there, as one way to get others to see the Christ in us is to be a light for others. Imagine how people react when you are miserable and it shows: they tend to shy away, because, after all, who wants to be brought down by someone else’s misery? But if you can share the joy of God, then even the skeptics will wonder why you’re smiling all the time. A person who experiences pleasure and joy can share them.
A person who suffers but is still capable of experiencing pleasure and joy is far more sensitive to the good things in life, I believe. It doesn’t really matter whether you were born into wealth or were born poor because these sensations (joy and suffering) are internal and relative to the person experiencing them. So a pauper living in Bombay has just as much of a chance to be a light as, say, Paris Hilton. If you ever wondered why Jesus wasn’t born in the age of mass media, then perhaps you can see my point when you understand that Jesus gets pretty good exposure these days.
And that brings up another point. Did Jesus have a mere 30-some years to make an impact? Do we have no more than the span of our lives? Not everyone has the characteristics necessary to be as brilliant a light as Jesus was. I believe there is a possibility that we are each given an opportunity to experience the heights of joy and pleasure and the depths of suffering, and if we don’t experience the full gamut of these experiences in one lifetime, then we might have another lifetime to experience them. If you can believe that Jesus was risen from the dead, then why can’t the same thing happen to us?
Have you ever heard someone say she/he was born in the wrong age? I have known people who felt they belonged in medieval times or in the 1950s. I read about a young woman who went to England “for the first time,” but suddenly felt at home when she arrived there, as if she had been there all her life – but during the times that Charles Dickens wrote about. In fact, I’ve read a lot about reincarnation and people who have memories from a past lives. It makes sense to me that the most enlightened people, the wisest of the wise, are those who have had lifetimes to develop their experiences and understanding of human suffering and joy.
I believe that there is a reason for a baby to be born with a deformity that causes her/his death just months after entering this world. I believe there is a reason a young woman gets brutally raped and murdered in Florida. I believe there is a reason some people seem to be able to get away with murder. I believe there is a reason a person can live to be more than 100 years old. I know there is a reason for us to celebrate the good things in life, and there is a reason for us to be with other people and share the good things in life. Imagine a baby who lives just two months before dying, then coming back as a person who lives to be 90+ years old. That person will most likely know a thing or two about suffering and joy. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I hope that we all have the opportunity to live our worldly lives to the fullest before (and sometimes at the same time that) we join God in His realm.
posted by Louis at 6:45 PM
2 Comments:
Who in south Texas isn't a southern baptist? lol. Actually, my parents attend a methodist church. I am honored that you even bother to read my posts.
Thanks for your thoughts. I've lived in a "third-world" country, and I remember seeing lepers begging for whatever they could get while their bodies wasted away. They do suffer, but even people born with wealth suffer. They just lack perspective on the suffering of others. If they could spend some time living with those who don't have anything, perhaps they will understand a little better. I think you are right. Thanks for your thoughts. I really appreciate them.
Post a Comment
<< Home