We need to understand God’s ways that baffle us because our relation with things and people are based on our personal attachments and selfish interests. For example we do not feel as bad when similar or much worse ‘tragedy’ strikes those whom we do not know well. The thing is that God and His executing force Nature look at things from a very vast vision that is inaccessible to us and hence we suffer. We see the short term loss and not the long term gain to the departed as well as the one who is left behind. We see the destruction of the soul but not the journey of the soul that grows wiser and strong through death and fall. The soul may well chose a short life and want to take a quick leap instead of lingering long in the limited experience of one lifetime. For Nature it is simply like dismantling a fragile house and giving another to the person dwelling in the house. Yes we suffer but it is because we are wrongly attached to the outer form which is simply a shell, a means of communicating with the person within but not the person himself. It is somewhat like being attached to the temple rather than the Deity, to the image rather than the truth it represents.
There is no justice or injustice involved here. That would come if God and Nature deliberately wanted to inflict suffering by snatching away our loved one. But what if the loved one wanted freedom and change? Would it not be then injustice to let him linger in a body and circumstances that are stifling his progress! Suffering is not a punishment from God but often a purifying ordeal. It comes to everyone in one way or the other because we do not realise that forms are always transient, that we are mere trustees and guests and that everyone and everything belongs to God. It is He who gives what we have and has the right to take them away. We do not credit Him for the countless blessings in our life, nor share or use for His good whatever is given to us. We spend everything for our selfish desires even though everything always belonged to Him. So when He takes away something or someone which never was ours, and for the good of the person He has called back, then is it fair to call Him unfair!
Affectionately,
Alok Da
