Children Ask Why

Friday, December 18 2009



Children ask - Why?

The Rich - The Poor...

The Powerful - The Powerless...

Why is one child born into prosperity, comfort and opportunity,

while another is born into poverty, suffering and despair?

Has it always been so?

Must it always be so - rich and poor, powerful and powerless?

Why?

Children ask why, why, why? We give children answers that deny reality.

Sometimes we tell them there is no answer - or the equivalent - "It's God's will".

Or, some offer "Karma" as the cause and explanation for these terrible inequities.

I believe we give empty answers, not because we are evil, or wish to mislead them, but because we cannot accept the truth ourselves.

I believe there is an honest and accurate explanation... I believe that the truth is so unspeakable, that we dare not acknowledge it to ourselves, or God forbid, reveal it to our children.

To even think the truth causes too painful a realization. To even think the truth wreaks havoc on our ideas of who we are. It tears apart our individual and collective self-images. The truth spotlights the results of our complacency and "self-service" as our prime objective.

In answer to an innocent child's inquiry "Why are those people poor and suffering, and dying, and we are not?" What parent could utter these words:

"Darling, it's because I allow it".