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Ponder over Goodness

P. A. Joseph P. A. Joseph
28 Aug 2023

Discussion and study about the problem of evil have been a long issue. From the point of view of religious founders and teachers there have been no worthwhile reasons for the problem of evil. Hence it remains as an unanswered question. Hinduism and Islam speak about evil but the reason for evil could not be clearly stated. As we read, Gautama Buddha took this question very seriously, spent as many as seven years to meditate on the mystery of evil, but still the question remained unsolved. 

In this context it may be more meaningful and positive to reflect about the problem of goodness. It may sound better to use the phrase the issue of goodness or the matter of goodness. While reflecting on the issue of goodness, we are led to numerous areas of the world. The whole world and universe are enveloped by goodness. Spiritual people pray on the issue of goodness. They are lost in contemplation as how to thank the Almighty for spreading goodness all over the universe and the cosmos. How are we to thank the magnanimous, gratuitous and overwhelming gifts given and spread out in the universe? All the religions especially Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity have contributed much to acknowledge about the goodness given by the Almighty. 

The great Franciscan author and thinker Richard Rohr speaks of the wonders of goodness. According to him, we are living in the tremendous grace and mystery of goodness. The whole cosmos is filled with luminous stars and millions of heavenly bodies, the seas are filled with many marine creatures, the forests are inhabited by variety of animals and flying birds. Apart from this the whole earth and sea are containing numerous kinds of metals and chemicals. Nothing is stagnant, and everything is in constant movement. 

As humans we are born to be transcending and to move towards endless horizons. The phrase “sky is the limit” is no more valid as humans are reaching beyond the earth to moon, mars, etc. The struggle of man within last 50 years has been great and successful. The aeronautic science and research are fast advancing. These are all in the area of the issue of the good. If we look in this positive approach, we come across only goodness everywhere. This is both external and internal. 

The growth and development of science have been fantastic. Many things we took as mystery are scanned through science and we see sprouting wonders. Every item before the scanning lenses is revealing wonders of nature or creation. Just take the field of medicine and health care. Now the latest investigations reveal the cause of almost all the diseases; some of which are curable while others are yet under research. We cannot say a sickness is incurable, research is in process; It is not a negative point but waiting for the good result in time. 

The goodness of God fills all the gaps of the universe without discrimination or preference. This we can gauge only in silent reflection. While reflecting on the wonderful gifts, poet Julia Esquivel says that she cannot sleep. She says that we need to go deeper and when we mine the mind we find diamonds. We need not go for any arguments or laws, as the great philosopher Thomas Aquinas said: “Life is prior to doctrines”. Life is the most important gift and it cannot be degraded.

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