Why?

"There are two great days in a person's life - 

the day we are born and the day we discover why."

-- William Barclay (1907-1978), theologian, author, minister, professor

For some, the first great day is the beginning of a short life in famine and squalor.  For others, they have arrived to a situation of domestic abuse in which they have become the new punching bag, and far too many find their great day tainted by parental drug abuse that has visited upon them birth defects.  For all of them the question begs to be asked, "Why?"  Many of these children may survive long enough to ask the question, but not long enough to learn an answer.  Those children that can survive their circumstances have an opportunity to learn from the horrors of their life.  They will have an opportunity to foster change and to assist others.  Those that don't live still serve an unfortunate purpose of giving those that have lived, a cause for doing so.  They have only to recognize the purpose and take action.  Sounds simple, just don't die.

"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why...
I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?

-- Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), Senator

In life, there must be death.  There must always be the yin and yang, the two halves that together complete wholeness; the balance that must always be struck for reality to exist.  If you could go back in time to prevent a death, a death would still occur, the balance somehow maintained.  It would be nice if we could end famine, suffering, and death.  If we could accomplish this, there would be overcrowding; close quarters is a fertile culture for the spread of contagion; contagion is reason for antibiotics; antibiotics reduce our ability to fight off disease.  Millions will still die.  Thus is the balance of life.  For earth to abide, a balance must exist.  In the whole of creation, the balance must exist.

When people see things as beautiful,
ugliness is created.
When people see things as good,
evil is created.
Being and non-being produce each other.
Difficult and easy complement each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low oppose each other.
Fore and aft follow each other.

-- Lao Tsu (604-531 B.C.), Chinese philosopher, poet

Those that survive to adulthood may find the answer to why they were born.  The sad reality is, many will simply go about their daily grind trying to better their situation or just "keep up with the Joneses."  These people may never find an answer to why they are here, if they ever consider asking the question.  There are the rare few who find they were born for accidental greatness; to land the crippled aircraft with three hundred people on board, or pull a family from a burning building, or save a small child that has stopped breathing by administering CPR which they just learned a few days ago.  And they might ask, "Is being a hero enough?"  Is this "why" they were put here years ago?  What makes them special, other than being heroes?  And then, what of the survivors?  Many survivors will experience "survivor guilt."  They will ask why they were spared when others may have died around them.  

What if, among all the lives saved, there is that one special life?  What if one of these is, or will be the mother or father of, or grandparent of, some person that will change our world for the better?  What if saving a particular life sets off a chain reaction we need to survive?  What if the life saved is an essential player in the second coming of Christ?  What if everyone is put here for a reason and it is up to us to learn our own answer as to why?  What if we will only know it when it happens?  What if we only find the answer by asking, "Why?" 

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why."

-- Bernard M. Baruch

I have questioned my existence for most of my life.  This question of existence becomes significantly more important when one survives several encounters with death, surviving through no fault of their own, or anyone else's.  The hand of fate seemingly drops in to pluck them from the jaws of death, and each time they are left with that nagging question of, "Why?"

As I turned sixty I looked back on my own encounters with death as a young man, and considered the question once again.  For twenty-two years, during my military career and the Cold War, we managed to keep the world in one piece through nuclear deterrence, and we watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union.  I have two wonderful children and two beautiful grandchildren, and I still have my health.  I have to wonder if I was plucked from death for reasons yet to come, or have I already accomplished the task I was set on my path to achieve.  Is it my blog that is my purpose, or was it my children or grandchildren that are meant to be here; is it their path that becomes important at this point, and what or who are they supposed to affect?  Am I finished, or is there more in store for me further along my path?

As I look back at my life, though. I realize that I am tired.  I realize my questions have put me on the path to where I am, and it has been a good path.  As I look into what future I have left in this life, I realize it is important to understand for what purpose I am here, and I find the answer is very simple.  I am here, for a purpose.  That I know the purpose is not as important as realizing there is a purpose.  Understanding this simple fact, I look to the future with less concern as to "Why?" and with more interest in, "Why not?"  I have found this question easier to answer.

"For as long as there's anyone to ask 'Why?'
the answer will always be, 'Why not?"

-- Vera Nazarian, "The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration"

Since you took your first breath of air you have been on a path.  Where that path has taken you, or will take you, depends entirely on the decisions you make for your life.  No one else can accept responsibility for your life, unless you allow them to.  The choice is always yours for any decision you make.  To blame others is just misplaced anger at you for being a dumbass.  Better to accept responsibility for your actions, pick yourself up, and move down the path having learned from the experience and hopefully able to mentor others as a way of giving the mistake some value.

Realize that your path will continue until you reach your destination.  It may continue through this life, into the next, and beyond.  It is truly not about the destination, and in realizing this one can understand why rushing through life is counterproductive to that life.  You will miss so much beauty along the way.  You will find too late that children grow up too fast, loved ones die with words left unsaid, untended love slips away, and friendships fail for stupid reasons.

"Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why?

-- Eddie Cantor (1892-1964), comedian, singer, actor, et al

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor