Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

jaysangh · #1 (**permalink**) 06-Jun-2009, 14:35 PM

Simply put, my question is, "Why do bad things happen to good people". This question may seem very stupid and basic but allow me to flesh out some details.
What is a good person? What is good and what is bad? What is the good life? These are all deep questions. I would THINK that Sikhs would reply saying that a good person is a person that lives his/her life while keeping the panch chor in balance as much as possible (I am not saying avoid the panch chor because avoiding 1 of the 5 can often result in practicing one of the other 5).
What else would “being good” mean in terms of the Sikh faith. Can a Sikh be good if he keeps the panch chor in balance but DOESN’T
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/25308-why-do-bad-things-happen-good.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308
1.Go to the Gurdwara
2.Learn about the Guru’s and what they have done
3.Celebrate Sikh holidays
4.Follow the 5 K’s
Or is it not possible to keep the panch chor in balance if you are doing any one of the above listed items?
Having discussed the above let me go to the root of my question. Why do bad things happen to good people? Surely, there must be some, innocent, Sikh children in India who have are dying of health complications that aren’t their fault. A health condition they were born into.
In many other religions I understand that it is said that if you are a good person that good things will come your way. Does Sikhism say anything like that (does The Guru Granth Sahib say anything like this). If so, why do such bad things like the situation I described happen?

Narayanjot Kaur · #2 (**permalink**) 06-Jun-2009, 17:02 PM

jaysanghji

And you know I always wonder why good things happen to bad people? Wondering what will happen if we look at both questions side by side? What makes a person good? What makes a person bad? Who are "good" and who are "bad" people? Where does evil come from? Where does "good" come from? These are all related questions.

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #3 (**permalink**) 06-Jun-2009, 18:39 PM

ALL GOOD and BAD..and IN BETWEEN..comes from the CREATOR...is what Gurbani declares.
Its ALL in HIS HUKM..He KNOWS ALL...but the best we can do is double guess ??
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308
We should accept His HUKM..His Bhanna...and His WILL...then we will be at PEACE.

1. Once there was a Raja....and he had a Prime Minister..who always said..Thats GOOD...no matter what.
Once the raja sliced off his finger while cutting a fruit .. THATS GOOD..said the PM. The Raja was furious..you fool..i am now one finger short...and you say its GOOD ?? Yes Raja Ji..I stand by my statement....the Raja shook his head...
A few years later..one day the raja went hunting in the forest....where he got lost and was captured by natives who wnated to make him a sacrifice to their diety. They ahd him tied up and were about to lsice his throat..wehn they noticed his hand had one finger less...OH this sacrifice is incomplete...the priest said..the Goddess wont be happy...let him go. The Raja was so happy to be alive...and all because of a missing finger..He then remebered that his PM had said..Thats GOOD..when he cut it years ago....the First thing he did when he got hoem safe and sound was reward his PM..THATS GOOD said the PM..and BOTH laughed....

Whatever He does is always

GOOD.

Tejwant Singh · #4 (**permalink**) 06-Jun-2009, 23:00 PM

My own personal life would indicate that things happen. It is our perspective towards the happenings that makes them either Good or Bad.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

When we look at the same event as bad we ask," Why me?". And when we look at it as Bhana- Good then we say," Why not me?".

The sacrifices of our Gurus would show us that. Lots of bad things happened to them but a lot good came out of it. June 5th of every year is just one date of many which reminds us of that.

So, the question should not be," Why bad things happen to good people" but when things happen, whether good or bad, how can one make the best out of them?

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the best tool box which teaches us how to make lemonade when life offers us a lemon or two.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308
Tejwant Singh

Astroboy · #5 (**permalink**) 07-Jun-2009, 02:32 AM

Page 613, Line 13
ਤੁਮ ਕਰਹੁ ਭਲਾ ਹਮ ਭਲੋ ਨ ਜਾਨਹ ਤੁਮ ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਦਇਆਲਾ ॥
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308
तुम करहु भला हम भलो न जानह तुम सदा सदा दइआला ॥
Ŧum karahu bẖalā ham bẖalo na jānah ṯum saḏā saḏā ḏa▫i▫ālā.
You do good for us, but we do not see it as good; You are kind and compassionate, forever and ever.
Guru Arjan Dev - view Shabad/Paurhi/Salok

Mai Harinder Kaur · #6 (**permalink**) 11-Aug-2009, 11:04 AM

Dear all, all jis, of course,

I would echo what others have said, in a slightly different way.

Bad things don't happen to good people; in, fact bad things don't happen.

They only seem bad from our very limited perspective. I have had some very "bad" things happen in my life; I can't say I'm happy about that, but I can say I wouldn't be half the person I am now without their having happened.

Could our perfect Creator, Akaal Purakh, have created imperfection? I know Christians - and maybe Jews - have debated this for millenia. I will solve it for them. Perfection cannot produce imperfection. Therefore, our universe is perfect.

Everything is exactly as it must be. I personally returned from the dead (although I would have preferred not to) because my continued life is necessary for the continuing perfection of the Universe/Spacetime Continuum (Maya). This is not egotistical; the same is true of everyone and everything, down to the tiniest sub-sub-subatomic particle.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

So why don't we all - including myself - get off our pity-pots and celebrate!

Chardi kala!!!

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

Mai

harbansj24 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-Aug-2009, 11:17 AM

Dear Arvinbandhesha,

The answer to your question has very well been given by the respected persons in this thread. But in case you have not properly understood it, I will try to explain it again.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

Your mom left you in the car without taking proper precautions such as pulling the handbrake lever. So the car started to roll. But by God's grace the closed wooden gate stopped the car. Just imagine what would have happened if the gate did not come in the way! Maybe you would have had a major accident or maybe someone else might have been hurt then you would have been in real trouble.
Now you have got away with absolutely nothing. The damaged gate also will be paid by insurance. So don't you think that God is great?

Gyani Jarnail Singh · #8 (**permalink**) 11-Aug-2009, 16:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harbansj24

Dear Arvinbandhesha,

The answer to your question has very well been given by the respected persons in this thread. But in case you have not properly understood it, I will try to explain it again.

Your mom left you in the car without taking proper precautions such as pulling the handbrake lever. So the car started to roll. But by God's grace the closed wooden gate stopped the car. Just imagine what would have happened if the gate did not come in the way! Maybe you would have had a major accident or maybe someone else might have been hurt then you would have been in real trouble.
Now you have got away with absolutely nothing. The damaged gate also will be paid by insurance. So don't you think that God is great?

and..what IF the gate was rotten and needed replacing anyway..? A Brand new gate absolutley FREE..woow God is sure Great.

jaysangh · #9 (**permalink**) 22-Aug-2009, 15:16 PM

I know I haven't responded much to this but I really wanted to see what people had to say about the topic. I don't think anybody really touched the essence of my question.

A lot of people seemed to suggest that things happen exactly how they are supposed to. We, humans, are stupid and can't tell how good or bad something is. We simply look at the short term and never consider the long term. I do think this is kind of true. We may think that being fired from a certain job was a really terrible event. But later on in life we may realize that if we hadn't been fired from that job we would have never started our own company and been successful. Etc etc.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

My question wasn't really about this. It was about the starving Indian child who is suffering from Malaria. A child who wasn't asked to be born into this world into a family that could not support him. A child who won't live past his 10th birthday because he doesn't have enough food to eat and doesn't have the medicine he needs. This child and many like him die every day in this world. All the while, we have people buying Gucci purses, iPhones, and Big Macs. What kind of world is this?

Are you really meaning to say that these kids just don't get it? What is happening to them is really a good thing, they just don't see it yet? How could this possibly be a good thing?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=25308

How does Sikhism explain this unbalanced world that we live in?