Why?

Oslo called me back into his room tonight after he had had an overload of kisses and cuddles. He asked my why God made bad people. I climbed into bed next to him and tried to explain that God didn't make bad people, but that God gave us free will. It was a bit tricky explaining free will when I was rather keen on him getting to sleep so we could enjoy tomorrow but I gave it my best shot. I went on to say that people sometimes did bad things after bad things had happened to them, but that we all had choices on how to deal with bad experiences and another person might not have turned bad but rather become even more good after sad things had happened. He came to the conclusion that there was no God, for there were bad people, and if God makes everything, then there could be no God for He would never make bad people if he really was real.



I have to say, I get his logic. I struggle with the imbalance of the world all the time. I start most days in a flood of tears after reading about something terrible that is happening in the world somewhere, be it human trafficking, animal cruelty, death and disease, or simple unfairness of opportunities and prejudices. This is magnified at the moment with the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti.

I simply don't understand why, just because I happen to have been born into a certain life, that I have so much, when so many others have so little and have it so hard. The cruelty and the pain that exists in the world at any given minute is utterly unfathomable and the fact that my poor 5 year old boy is attempting to try to comprehend it all now, while here I am in my late 30s still struggling to find answers makes it all so difficult when trying to give answers. Nevertheless, we take time to talk with the children about how we can help by donating to charities so they in turn can afford to ship in what the people need to rebuild their lives.

So in answer to Oslo's good-people -bad-people-and-God-in-the-middle question, I told him that he needed to believe what was in his heart, and that if that meant not believing in God for the moment, that that was fine. I believe God is in all of us so he will find what he needs in himself when he comes to terms with the ways of the world.

For now, I am just inexplicably appreciative that our lives have been so blessed, and that Oslo is thinking about such things. He is awake and aware and for that I am grateful and proud.