What about Santa Clause ? If you are good you get presents at Xmas.Srinath Naivaruni wrote:The answer to your question can be found in the law of "Karma" in Hinduism. If one could believe in the basic Hindu Idea of Life as a series of Births and Deaths on the path to ultimate salvation, or what we call " Moksha" the release or liberation from the Life- Death Cycle, the answer to your question can be found.Alexander17 wrote:I understand that everyone goes through trouble in their lives no matter how innocent or guilty they are, but why do horrible things happen to good people? To people who never did anything wrong? What are your thoughts?
The Good or Bad ( although subjective) that happen are essentially the consequences of one's "Karma" not just in this life time but the many lives that we have lived through.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
- P.James Flynn
- Banned
- Posts: 54
- Joined: July 15th, 2011, 3:51 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
-
- Posts: 50
- Joined: June 2nd, 2010, 2:19 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Surely that makes Santa Claus good, but who gives him presents?P.James Flynn wrote: What about Santa Clause ? If you are good you get presents at Xmas.
Perhaps we will never be able to understand these mysteries, we must simply accept the fact that Santa Claus exists and have faith in those who tell us this rather than trying to use reason to argue with them. If we succeeded in proving he didn't exist we would have no hope of getting any more presents, and even if we didn't succeed he would be so cross with us that he wouldn't give us them anyway
- P.James Flynn
- Banned
- Posts: 54
- Joined: July 15th, 2011, 3:51 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
My point is that mysticism is about as valid as Santa Claus.Thinkingcat wrote:Surely that makes Santa Claus good, but who gives him presents?P.James Flynn wrote: What about Santa Clause ? If you are good you get presents at Xmas.
Perhaps we will never be able to understand these mysteries, we must simply accept the fact that Santa Claus exists and have faith in those who tell us this rather than trying to use reason to argue with them. If we succeeded in proving he didn't exist we would have no hope of getting any more presents, and even if we didn't succeed he would be so cross with us that he wouldn't give us them anyway
However I do accept the notion that the meaning of life
is nothing at all unless it is validated by religion.
No doubt religion is a human way of making sense of a senseless world.
-
- Posts: 25
- Joined: June 20th, 2011, 11:33 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Imagine putting Good and Bad as an entity of Unity. Meaning there there is no Good or Bad but compound of both. Just like any compound we can create a reverse equation to extract its elements.Alexander17 wrote:I understand that everyone goes through trouble in their lives no matter how innocent or guilty they are, but why do horrible things happen to good people? To people who never did anything wrong? What are your thoughts?
Now move our imagination instead of compounding it as mere electrons shifting, and go into quantum, photon or light wave. Superimposing of waves to see how connected are we to one another to see how time at T1, T2 and so forth progresses to create string of continuous eventual happenings, the past and the future but not the present since Mr Present exists is short, perhaps nono second or a lesser. At this lesser T, the waves decide what next from the past to decide the future.
Therefore next time around try not to be at the wrong time and place.
-
- Posts: 1950
- Joined: September 4th, 2009, 8:18 am
- Favorite Philosopher: God
- Location: Australia
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
This presupposes we know where the "right place" is.Queen tina wrote:Therefore next time around try not to be at the wrong time and place.
Jesus says, "There is none good but one, and that is God!" If we take that as a basic assumption, then getting to where God is would see us arrive at the right place at the right time.
Cheers,
enegue
-
- Posts: 25
- Joined: June 20th, 2011, 11:33 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Cheer enegue.Jesus says, "There is none good but one, and that is God!" If we take that as a basic assumption, then getting to where God is would see us arrive at the right place at the right time.
Now that God is the destination of right place perhaps its right time to understand the God. Since the God is Perfect, therefore every form of Perfection is God. Start to understand your Perfect Self, the kingdom of God within you.
-
- Posts: 1950
- Joined: September 4th, 2009, 8:18 am
- Favorite Philosopher: God
- Location: Australia
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
I agree.Queen tina wrote:Now that God is the destination of right place perhaps its right time to understand the God.
What forms of perfection do you see? What are you using as a measure of perfection?Queen tina wrote:Since the God is Perfect, therefore every form of Perfection is God.
I perfectly understand myself, but I don't see my Self as perfection. Unless the kingdom of God within helps me in some way to contend with the kingdom of flesh without, I have no hope of arriving at the right place at any time. I thank God for Jesus Christ who gave me his Spirit to sustain me in that battle.Queen tina wrote:Start to understand your Perfect Self, the kingdom of God within you.
Cheers,
enegue
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: July 28th, 2011, 7:00 am
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Since children cannot grasp the abstract concepts of Good and Evil and their consequences, Santa Claus serves the purpose well.
The same purpose is severed by the concepts of " Hell and Heaven". The uninstructed human mind cannot grasp abstractions.
-
- Posts: 1950
- Joined: September 4th, 2009, 8:18 am
- Favorite Philosopher: God
- Location: Australia
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Hi, Srinath Naivaruni.Srinath Naivaruni wrote:Since children cannot grasp the abstract concepts of Good and Evil and their consequences, Santa Claus serves the purpose well.
Children have no problems with the concepts of Good and Evil, and their consequences. "Good" is the state of being in harmony with their parents/carers, "Evil" is the state of being in discord. After all, parents/carers do wield the power of sticks and carrots.
Cheers,
enegue
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: August 25th, 2010, 9:50 am
-
- Posts: 25
- Joined: June 20th, 2011, 11:33 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
What forms of Idealism do we see? What forms of truth do we see? What forms of absolute do we see? How are we using as a measure of such entities?What forms of perfection do you see? What are you using as a measure of perfection?
Jesus once said, the truth will set we free. How free are we now? Is it because we have not used our empirical ability to quantify truth? The epistemological adventure of splitting atoms further created more impasses than solutions yet should we give up? No. Hal came up with his zero field to see/imagine how the universe behaves should it freezes. In this causal WORLD we live, there will always be two forms of perception, the left and the right. Are we saying truth lies within the realm of rightist?
Now coming back to the original quention, how do we measure Perfection? our Pefect Self. Jesus cannot be seen to be the ONLY SON of God otherwise the TRUTH about the Universe is around us and not us failed to be true. The premise must be seen true, if the Universe is around us, then we too are Universe. If God is omniprrsence, then we too are God. So why confine to Jesus alone?
Is there a possibility the Roman whom has hijacked concept Christianity to seize control of the masses after their hellinistic God became irrevelant with Time but retrain the same flavour, The SON of God.
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: July 31st, 2011, 10:21 pm
Re: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Think about life without bad things? Can you ever understand the meaning of good things or what is good or bad? Good and Bad things are the two side of same coin. To feel the happiness you need to feel the pain. It like you can't measure you height, if we dont have measuring unit. Theory of relativityAlexander17 wrote:I understand that everyone goes through trouble in their lives no matter how innocent or guilty they are, but why do horrible things happen to good people? To people who never did anything wrong? What are your thoughts?
-
- Posts: 10339
- Joined: June 15th, 2011, 5:53 pm
To me, the question "why?" means "what is the underlieing mechanism?"
For example: "why is it raining?", "why does the moon go around the earth?", "why do zebras have stripes?"
These questions are asking for a cause-and-effect mechanism. I don't believe there is any other sensible use of the word "why". But we humans are so used to asking this question that we often tend to extend it into realms where it makes no sense. It is, literally, non-sense.
-
- Posts: 50
- Joined: June 2nd, 2010, 2:19 pm
-
- Posts: 10339
- Joined: June 15th, 2011, 5:53 pm
If dictionary definitions were all that is required to completely understand words then philosophy forums would be unnecessary.According to the Oxford dictionary the primary meaning of "why" is "for what reason or purpose", so the question "why do horrible things happen to good people?" makes sense without the author having to explain what he meant.
What exactly is a "reason" or a "purpose"? If you keep looking in the dictionary you'll end up going in circles.
2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023
Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023