ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT
By
John G. Sutton
The recent horror of New Orleans and the area surrounding the Mississippi delta, devastated by hurricane Katrina, made me pause to think about the nature of evil. For a time evil seemed to gain purchase on the people of the gulf coast and the land, natural evil in the form of the hurricane and moral evil in the form of human depravity (reports of rapes, murders, looting for spoils, neglect of duty, abuse of the elderly etc.) No doubt many asked the age old question, would a God that truly loved his children permit such terrible things to happen?
Devastated New Orleans
The answer to this eternal conundrum may lie in the way we perceive both good and evil. On a daily basis how many of us will ask why God would allow us good health, food, shelter, clean water, warm clothing, the companionship of family and friends, love and laughter? Not many. Most of us accept that these things belong to us as a right. In truth the majority of people in the UK and USA live reasonably safe and secure lives facing no greater challenge than what car to buy, what shoes to wear, what restaurant to eat at etc. etc. In our day to day living we do not, as a general rule, encounter the darker side of life. And we ignore our God. It is only when disaster strikes that we throw up our arms in anger and despair asking why He, the divine being, would allow these terrible things to happen.
You may not subscribe to a belief in a supreme being but you will recognise the difference between good and bad fortune. Yet is it not true that we couldn't fully comprehend one without the other? For us to understand light we must become acquainted with the night. During times of tragedy and terror the distinction between the two extremes of good and evil becomes clear. Today we see the awful horror of New Orleans and believe it to be wickedness. As, when we reflect on times past, we view the Jewish holocaust or the destruction of the World Trade Centre as expressions of evil. Juxtaposed to such terror we consider the work of gentle souls such as Mother Teresa to be benevolent and good, or the simple compassion and unquestioning love of a parent for their child as right and proper. How strange though that we perceive the hand of God only in that which we think of as good.
As someone who has experienced pain and suffering (amputation of my gangrene infected right leg) I can honestly say that the experience, whilst traumatic and debilitating, brought me to a new comprehension of life. You may imagine the shock of being restricted to a wheelchair when only weeks before I was capable of running a marathon in just over three hours. I learned a great deal about life in the months and years following my discharge from the intensive care ward. I learnt very quickly that not everyone can accept the disabled. People I had known for years and thought of as friends crossed the street when they saw me being wheeled along by my wife. As if they couldn't face meeting me in my incapacitated state. `But I am still me", I thought, `why do they do this?" In time I accepted the sad truth, I was a different me, but in a way a better me. The trauma and humiliation of those dark days brought understanding and enabled me to extend myself in many different directions that as a fully fit man I may never have chosen. In a way I am one that is well acquainted with the night.
Those that are today suffering from the results of hurricane Katrina and/or the abuses of their fellow human beings will, if they survive, emerge as stronger individuals. Those that have passed to spirit as a direct result of this disaster will carry on their eternal journey taking with them the knowledge and experiences acquired during their time on earth. What we assume to be a horrible death will, for them, have been a peaceful transition. Death has no sting and the grave no victory over our immortal souls. For we that are not subject to the trials and tribulations of those unfortunates in the New Orleans disaster zone there are still decisions. We decide between goodness and depravity. In our daily lives we must recognise the difference between right and wrong, then we make our choices as human beings with free will. It is the expression of our free will that may be the reason we have to face evil.
I believe that we are given a choice and dependant upon our decision is the pathway that we will eventually walk when we step through the doorway leading to infinity. But we have to make that choice and there has to be an option that we understand. Thus may we learn our lessons in this material world and evolve spiritually into the undying love of our God. In this short essay I have touched only briefly on the big question, why would God allow terrible things such as hurricane Katrina to destroy and damage so many lives? Perhaps it may be so that we can all become better acquainted with the night.
New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina
TO VIEW MORE IMAGES AND READ ABOUT THIS DISASTER CLICK HERE: KATRINA
Wrecked By Hurricane Katrina