What ruins life

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Compassionist
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What ruins life

Post #1

Post by Compassionist »

Life would be awesome if there were no suffering, unfairness and deaths. These things ruin what could be an amazing experience. I feel so much grief about all the suffering, unfairness and deaths. I wish I could go back in time and prevent all suffering, unfairness and deaths but I can't. If I were all-knowing and all-powerful, there would be no suffering, unfairness and death. I would just make every being equally all-knowing and all-powerful and give them an infinite number of universes each so all will be equally weatlhy and healthy and wise and eternal.

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Post #2

Post by otseng »

Though it's noble to avoid suffering and pain, in this world, it is unavoidable. The good news is one day God will create a new world that is free from suffering and pain. Until then, we should help alleviate the suffering, but we cannot expect it will end in our world.

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Re: What ruins life

Post #3

Post by Wootah »

Compassionist wrote: Life would be awesome if there were no suffering, unfairness and deaths. These things ruin what could be an amazing experience. I feel so much grief about all the suffering, unfairness and deaths. I wish I could go back in time and prevent all suffering, unfairness and deaths but I can't. If I were all-knowing and all-powerful, there would be no suffering, unfairness and death. I would just make every being equally all-knowing and all-powerful and give them an infinite number of universes each so all will be equally weatlhy and healthy and wise and eternal.
Are you saying our dark hearts require a universe each?

I would agree.

A great description of hell which I have heard before is that it is a place where each person is allowed to be God of their own universe. CS Lewis had this vision of each person in their own house, made to their liking but no one visits each other because of the hate for each other.

Suffering and death will end when God gathers his people.
Proverbs 18:17 The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

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Purple Knight
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Re: What ruins life

Post #4

Post by Purple Knight »

Compassionist wrote: Life would be awesome if there were no suffering, unfairness and deaths.
I'm not entirely sure of that. The easier it becomes to get our basic needs met, it seems like the worse people treat each other.
Wootah wrote:A great description of hell which I have heard before is that it is a place where each person is allowed to be God of their own universe. CS Lewis had this vision of each person in their own house, made to their liking but no one visits each other because of the hate for each other.
I really like this interpretation of Hell.

In Chronicles of Narnia, he also described Hell as being a bit self-imposed.

I can't conceive of a universe wherein it's accurate, even if I allow for all of Christianity to be true, I just personally like it.

I like it because I'm not bothered by every little thing, but most of the people in my personal life are. I'm always the one who has to adjust my behaviour, and it would really be swell if I would be where everyone isn't offended by everything. This version of Christianity, although not terribly true to Christian theology, replaces evil with umbrage. The less you like, the less you can have, until you're locked up in a mansion which has become a prison, because everything else but your perfect ideal bothered you and thus you made it a prison.

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Re: What ruins life

Post #5

Post by Menotu »

[Replying to post 1 by Compassionist]

Life would be awesome if there were 1) no suffering, 2) unfairness and 3) deaths.

I don't agree.
1) Suffering many times builds character and creates appreciation
2) Unfairness? Maybe. Though that can also build appreciation
3) The idea of living forever is terrible to me because we don't know what happens after death.

Maybe if # 2 & #1 above didn't last for a long time, it would be better. But death....everything 'dies'. It's the balance of life. Death is a change in physical status. I'm not sure why that would be bad.

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Re: What ruins life

Post #6

Post by 2ndRateMind »

[Replying to post 1 by Compassionist]

I agree with Menotu. Life would be great if there was no suffering, but also incredibly boring. That impetus to understand the world, and our place within it, would simply not exist. Who cares if volcanoes erupt, if no one dies as a consequence? Why should tsunami's matter, if none of them were lethal? The fatalities provide a rationale for our investigations.

I believe that God loves us, and wants the best for each of us. But I also think that God's love is a tough love, rather than a sentimental one, and that involves depositing humanity within a challenging environment. And so, if we think life is not fair, it is up to us to make it fair. And that gives meaning and purpose to our various existences, and provides the scope for each of us to become the best we can be.

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Re: What ruins life

Post #7

Post by Sojournerofthearth »

[Replying to post 1 by Compassionist]

Pressure brings change. As we maneuver to keep our footing through a strait and craggy course, assaying dark and menacing contemplations, pushing aside despair and grasping at hope and courage, reaching deep within and without for a solution, we become a better version of ourselves.

Soj
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Re: What ruins life

Post #8

Post by amortalman »

Compassionist wrote: Life would be awesome if there were no suffering, unfairness and deaths. These things ruin what could be an amazing experience. I feel so much grief about all the suffering, unfairness and deaths. I wish I could go back in time and prevent all suffering, unfairness and deaths but I can't. If I were all-knowing and all-powerful, there would be no suffering, unfairness and death. I would just make every being equally all-knowing and all-powerful and give them an infinite number of universes each so all will be equally weatlhy and healthy and wise and eternal.
I feel the same way. Someone has said that suffering builds character. If suffering builds character in some then it also builds resentment, anger, and death in others.

And what about the suffering of animals? Recently, I came across an injured Opossum in the street of my neighborhood. I slowed down to see how bad it was hurt. It had its nose against the pavement with its mouth agape and there was blood on its head. I couldn't tell if it was dead or alive. I was already late for a meeting so I drove away. On my way home after the meeting, I found that the creature was still there only this time it had somehow moved to the center of the street still with its nose to the pavement. Its mouth was still wide open probably because the injury kept it from closing. I got out of my truck and approached it. When I got within a few feet I could see the animal quivering and making a pitiful sound like a whimpering baby. It was obviously in great pain and suffering. It had been in this condition since early morning and it was now afternoon. I regretted not having taken the time earlier to put this poor creature out of its misery. I put it in a box and took it to the Nature Center not far away but by then it was very near death and probably died before it could be euthanized.

We struggle to make sense of such senselessness. We philosophize about why there is so much suffering in the world for people and animals. In people, we try to justify it with religious doctrine. But in animals? In doubt that the character of that Opossum was greatly improved by its ordeal.

Someone else said that life would be boring without suffering. IMO that represents a sadistic view of life. Tell that to the parents of a child suffering from cancer.

Stay compassionate, my friend, and do what good you can in this world.

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Post #9

Post by The Tanager »

Compassionist wrote: Life would be awesome if there were no suffering, unfairness and deaths. These things ruin what could be an amazing experience. I feel so much grief about all the suffering, unfairness and deaths. I wish I could go back in time and prevent all suffering, unfairness and deaths but I can't. If I were all-knowing and all-powerful, there would be no suffering, unfairness and death. I would just make every being equally all-knowing and all-powerful and give them an infinite number of universes each so all will be equally weatlhy and healthy and wise and eternal.
Would you still do these things if one needed to wipe out everyone's ability to love to do so?

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Post #10

Post by Divine Insight »

otseng wrote: The good news is one day God will create a new world that is free from suffering and pain.
If there was a God who could create a world that is free from suffering and pain why not just do that from the get go?
2ndRateMind wrote: Life would be great if there was no suffering, but also incredibly boring.
Wouldn't it then follow that an eternal life in heaven would also be incredibly boring?

If not, then why not? Will there be suffering in heaven?
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