Monday, May 23, 2011

Sometimes bad things happen to good people

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. My belief system has always been to do good, for the sake of doing good. And hopefully the positivity benefits many people. My faith also teaches me that philanthropy, altruism, community work, helping those who are less fortunate - all of these are important and imperative. So here's what I've been thinking...

Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Why is that? Is it possible that in the same way we can share "good", we collectively share "bad"? When someone does something good, I think the positive energy reverberates and whether it projects positive vibes directly (in a way that causes "good") or simply projects positivity that humms and ahhs through the world, it is doing good. But when someone does something "evil" or "bad", is that person the only one who suffers the consequences?

I was speaking to a man a few weeks ago, about exactly this. He said to me, that when a person leaves something unfinished in his life, his progeny takes on the responsibility to fulfill it. (There’s a story I once heard about Jaffer, I’ll include it below) Whether that factors in reincarnation or soul-travelling of some sort, he wasn't sure. But he said that, by the same stretch of logic, if one were to commit a sin in this life and not pay for it, his/her progeny would bear the burden of paying for a family member's sin. This is where my thought comes in: what if it isn't simply a family member who takes on the burden, but humanity? If projecting positive vibes in the world reverberated, what if negative vibes have the same effect? If I was to commit a sin, perhaps the burden of paying for it is put on humanity. And somewhere there is a bank of negative energy that has to be offset somehow... and that's how bad things happen to good people...

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This is a story I heard a while back, and I’m paraphrasing from a memory, so if there are inaccuracies feel free to correct me, but forgive me in advance for any errors.
It goes something like this... A mother gave birth to a baby boy, and at the time, the Imam lived relatively close by and could be asked to visit people. This being a special occasion, he was invited and then asked to offer a name for the newborn. He offered the name Jaffer, the boy’s late great grandfather’s name. He also added, that the family should encourage their son to be learned in spiritual and religious matters. Why? Apparently his great grandfather was supposed to be a great religious figure, but as a result of certain events and choices in his lifetime, he was unable to pursue and fulfill the projection. But Jaffer, the young boy, would be able to continue what Jaffer, the great grandfather, had started.

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