Why do bad things happen to good people or people who do not seem to deserve them?

         Why did God allow the murder of six million Jews during WWII? And also, Did every single one of the 250,000 Japanese killed in by the atomic bomb at Hiroshima have exactly the same karma?

         Why are innocent little children hurt or killed through no fault of their own?

         Whether you believe that God is directing world affairs on a daily basis or that everything is operating according the laws of karma, these questions may pose a problem.

         Then we have the more personal problems. The common story of a person who does nothing wrong - breaks no laws, commits no major sin - yet who seems to be the target of every misfortune possible.

         So let us discuss: Why things happen to people.

         The Gospel of John is the source of much noble Christian theology, and it is in this gospel, that we find the story of the man who was born blind.

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents. But because the works of God are made manifest in him.

         As New Agers we quickly grab hold of this verse to prove one of our favorite tenets - reincarnation. Obviously, in order for the man-who-was-born-blind's blindness to been caused by his sin, he would have to have sinned prior to being born, i.e., in a previous life.

         So one reason we find "evil" in our lives is because of our own thoughts and actions, either in this life or in a previous one the traditional understanding of what karma is.

         This verse tells us that the second reason we may find "evil" in our lives is as a result of the actions of those who have come before us - or our "parents". We are born into a world whose form has been determined by the actions and choices of the people who were living here prior to our birth. In the case of blindness, the man's parents may have had syphillis or the blindness might have been hereditary, or his mother may have taken some drugs or in some other way have done damage to herself and her fetus before he was born.

          But here, Jesus makes reference to a third cause of "evil" - the works of God being made manifest. We must understand that 2000 years ago, all of nature - rain, sunshine, storms, droughts, earthquakes, good crops, etc., what we know as natural events, were thought to be the works of God. In other words all natural events, all events involving our environment, were said to be the works of God.

          So therefore the third cause of "evil" in our lives is nature, the seasons and cycles of the weather and the Earth and the heavens.

         When bad things happen to us, we must ask ourselves:

          1) Am I doing (or failing to do) something that is resulting in this event which I do not like?

         2) Am I holding on to thoughts or feelings from the past that are generating karma, thus producing this event which I do not like?

         3) Am I in the middle (or at the end) of a chain of events which were set in motion long before I arrived here?

         4) Am I experiencing the fallout from natural environmental events which are effecting areas of the planet?

         Of course, the real difficulty is in deciding which of the above is the actual cause of your problems. If it is 1) or 2), you can take immediate actions to correct the situation. If it is 3), you can take steps to modify and correct the chain of events so that, in the future, they are operating more in line with your aims. An if it is 4) you can deveop patience, fortitude, and a spiritual outlook. Of course, in some situations you can simply move out of the area.

          The important thing is to make sure you understand which karma is in operation - 1), Your own immediate physical karma, 2) Your long range spiritual karma, 3) The karma of the world around you, or 4) Nature doing what nature does.

          Our own analytical processes often fail us due the bias which operates within our mind. To be certain as to which karma is acting upon you, you may consult a spiritual advisor or psychic, but place your reliance on prayer and meditation and the guidance of spirit within.

BACK          HOME