The last few days, I was engrossed watching live broadcast of the Haiti earthquake.I find this tragedy very sad and I am much disturbed. The images are grim, depressing, heart wrecking but it also thought provoking. One of the most dramatic and gruelling images was 11 year old girl whose leg was crushed under steel concrete grimacing in pain and calling out “papa, papa.....” she was eventually freed after 2 days to the relief of so many watching her fate. But she died in hospital. My heart really went out to her.
Thanks to modern communications, we see images of crushed and mangled building, piles of bodies strewn across the streets, the despondent looks of the traumatised survivors looking for their loved ones. And frantically digging in vain with bare hands to save a life and so many scenes that break our hearts. We see all these destructions in the comfort of our living room. An all out global rescue and humanitarian effort is underway, but that is just the beginning of the misery of Haitians.
I have always been curious and disturbed, trying to fathom and understand the causes and reasons for all these natural disasters. The 2004 Tsunami and the 2008 Sichuan earthquake were the recent disasters. And year in year out, the flood, Typhoons, Hurricanes and volcano eruptions visit mankind without fail. Helplessly, mankind take the bashings, unable to stop all these disasters despite constant appeal for divine intervention. Yes,not even all the Gods out there can stop these disasters.
Why can’t the Christian God stop the typhoon to protect all the Catholics in Philippines?
Why can’t the Islam Allah stop the monsoon drowning all the Muslim Bangladeshis?
Why can’t the Hindus Deities stop the drought as well the flood?
Why can’t the Buddha show mercy to all the disasters and just stop it?
Isn’t what we learn and believe that all Gods are merciful, loving and compassionate? All religions condemn killing of children and innocent lives. How do we justify innocent and young babies and children just perished in all these disaster? We ostracised women for abortions as murders in the name of God or Gods. Yet why pregnant women must dies in natural disasters?
Are all the Gods punishing us for our sins? Are all these retributions for the evil deeds committed? Or are all these disasters the work of the Devil or Satan? Or is it the law of nature to cull the population in those areas that are heavily populated? No, we are not supposed to question as God has the power to create, it too has the perogative to destroy.
Do we have answers or just pretend to have answers, or just manufacture our own answer to justify our faith? And when we cannot find an answer, do we conveniently explained away that all the Gods have reasons for these to happen and it is beyond our understanding? Are we suppose to reassure ourself that those who died will proceed to heaven? Or those that perished will be reincarnated and the next live we see a better ‘karma’ than this one? Or is it we will be reduced to dust as Atheist believed?
And for those of you, who profess that you understand and sympathise the pain and sorrow of the victims, please don’t fool yourself. You never will. All I can say is that the grieving process will be very long, some recovers, many never. One of the good of religions is that any faith can help to mitigate the pains and console the mind and assist in the recovery. This is because faith provides hope. Yes, hope even for this most impoverish nation in the western hemisphere.
As the reality of the disaster sinks in, the hunger pangs of the victims will also unleashed the ugly side of human being. Looting and fighting and scavenging for food and shelters will feature in the next episode of the news. At the same time we will also hear of bravery, courage and humility of fellow men. But no amount of consolation and praying will bring back the lives of those who perished. But there are bound to have a few lucky one buried alive to be rescue miraculously.
I have no answers but I know this is certain, there will be many more disasters, some even worst. Mankind has no means to stop natural disaster, neither do any of the Gods the world knows. At best mankind can do is to be prepared to face natural disaster and minimise the loss of life and properties.
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