Wednesday, January 05, 2005
The Hand You're Dealt
Everytime something bad happens, like a natural disaster, fire, wreck, illness, something, there are people out there who die and people out there who survive. Often times, random survivors are picked to tell their story to the media and a lot of times I hear the same thing somewhere in their interview. There are survivors who say, “G-d was watching over us” or “It was G-d’s hand which saved us” or “G-d answered our prayers” and every single time I hear that I think, “But what about the ones who didn’t make it? Was G-d not watching them?”
I mean, let’s take this recent tsunami. I just saw an interview on the news and the lady was talking about how G-d’s hand kept them from getting into the hotel they orginally booked; a hotel that was demolished by the tsunami and while it’s nice they made it through, I’m not belittling or making light of their ordeal, I ask, “What about the 150,000 who didn’t make it?” I mean, what...does G-d not like them? What makes G-d watch out for them and not others?
I’m not mocking anyone’s religion, I’m not saying that what they went through was a walk in the park, I’m merely trying to understand the mind set that someone would have to say G-d took care of them but not others. It makes no sense to me. And I don’t accept the arguments that some people were stronger in their religion than others and that’s why or that some prayed harder or whatever.
I don’t know quite how to word this because undoubtedly someone out there is going to read this wrong, read into what I’m saying or just plain old get offended because that never fails to happen but I just don’t buy into that spiel. It’s not like only non G-d believing people die or get hurt. People of all faiths get hurt or die and people of all faiths survive. I guess I just think it’s a little egotistical in a way. If I had a relative who was religious and they died and then I saw someone go on t.v. and state that the reason they made it out was because G-d was watching over them, I think I’d be a bit disgusted. Because, regardless of the fact that I don’t believe the same these people do, it says to me that they are somehow superior to those who died.
That’s what I hear every time someone says G-d saved them and/or listened to their prayers. I mean, even with illnesses this happens. Someone they love is very sick, on the brink of death, somehow they pull through and recover and the family says, “G-d answered our prayers.” So G-d doesn’t answer the prayers of the thousands of others who had family or friends go through the same illness but didn’t make it?
I just don’t think it works like that. I think it’s a lot more coincidence or fate or pure luck or even in some cases, it was the medical team that saved those people. Every time I hear that, it makes me feel....well, frankly, it gives me a negative feeling. It feels wrong. It feels like they aren’t even supposed to be saying that.
I’m not opposed to people having faith or believing the Bible or other religious material. I’m not opposed to those who pray or thank G-d for the every day things in life. But to say that G-d protected them while 150,000 other people did not make it.....there’s just something wrong with that to me.
I’m interested in hearing your opinions on this matter.
