Cyber Sermon- Sept 2002 2002-08-19

�In a little while, I�ll be gone. The moment�s already passed. Yeah. It�s gone.� �Radiohead.

�So this is where I say goodbye. This is where the story ends. And if there�s one thing that I�ve learned from life, it�s that it gets you in the end.� --Stabbing Westward

�If there were no rewards to reap, no loving embrace to see me through this tedious path I�ve chosen here, I certainly would have walked away by now.� --TOOL

I tend to think of myself as an intellectual. Simply put, I think too much. More specifically put, if someone presents an ideological viewpoint, I try to find problems with it. Perhaps there�s a problem with having too much cynicism. For though I can go on a verbal diatribe against the stupidity of people in general, I always try to find the goodness in individuals. I always forgive a solitary wrongdoer, but against humanity as a whole I remain wholly pissed off.

A friend of mine once presented me with the viewpoint that everything I know is wrong. Generally I agreed with it. But then I found a flaw. I asked if he believed that statement to be true. He said, �Yes, I absolutely believe in the truth of that statement.� So I told him that if he believed that statement was true, then logically speaking, the statement �everything you know is wrong� is self-contradictory. If you know it to be true, yet it tells you that what you know is false, then the statement cancels itself out.

He told me he needed to rethink his position.

I�ve often been presented with the problem of suffering. Statements like �How could an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-benevolent God allow the existence of pain, suffering, and evil in the world?� It shows up a lot on message boards that I frequent.

I tend to think of myself as an intellectual. To an intellectual, a question like that presents a huge road-block on the pathway to believing in the existence of God. And for me, while mythical details like heaven and hell hold little meaning for me, I believe in the existence of a divine Creator. There is an answer to the question, but I think it�s insignificant.

A common argument for atheism is that if evil exists, God cannot. And yet that is only half the argument, for if a person believes that statement to be true, then the opposite must be true as well: If God does not exist, then there is no good either. And without a standard of good, there is nothing to measure evil against. So if evil exists, then good exists. And the atheist�s argument cancels itself out. Everything you know is wrong.

I was talking to a friend of mine about the problem of suffering, and he told me a story. While it may not be a true story, it is a story full of Truth. (Pardon my Zen play on words�)

A man once came to the Buddha with a question. He asked Buddha, �How did the world begin?�

The Buddha winced and replied, �Your question, like all questions of that kind, is like a poisoned arrow. You have been shot through the heart with this poisoned arrow, and you have two choices. Your first choice is to find the answer, the antidote. But to find the antidote, you must first find out who shot the arrow, where did the arrow come from, and why you were shot. Meanwhile, the arrow continues to poison your heart, and the longer you search, the weaker you become. I should think the second choice is better.�

�What is the second choice, Teacher?� the man begged.

The Buddha smiles sadly. �I would simply pull the arrow out after I had been shot.�

The man became confused. �But you would still be poisoned.�

�Yes, my son. But without the arrow, the wound can heal. The poison will not spread.�

And here is my answer to the problem of evil and suffering: Whether or not God exists, whether or not he allows suffering to happen or he is the cause of it, the answer won�t make the problem go away. We must remove the arrow from our hearts so that the poison does not spread.

But how? How can we fight evil, disease, pain, hunger, drought, and other such poisoned arrows? I tell you this, pointing the finger at God, or the devil, or at the rest of mankind does nothing but let the arrow fester in our hearts.

It always saddens me to hear of friends who join the peace corps. As admirable as their goal of saving the world is, they are thinking too big. The world doesn�t need saving. But people do. The greatest act of charity is still an act of charity, and is not more important than the simplest act of charity. Bringing care packages to third-world countries, feeding the homeless, holding a door open for someone leaving the building after you. They are all the same. They all come from the same place. The heart.

The power of individuality is an awesome thing, and it�s a shame that not more people take advantage of it.

I heard a story once about the origin of parking lots, how they came to be called �parking lots.� You see, originally, between all the skyscrapers and office buildings, right at the turn of the century, the architects had planned for these parks to separate the buildings. They would help contribute to a peaceful, relaxed atmosphere, and it would allow for people to intermingle in a friendly environment. But when everyone began buying cars, they needed a place to park their cars, and the parks disappeared so that there was a place for automobiles. And what has happened? People wake up, drive to work in complete isolation, work in isolated offices and cubicles, get a drive-thru lunch, and drive home. Is it any wonder that we don�t trust other people at all? That we react adversely to simple human decency? That we resist friendly overtures from complete strangers?

Here is my charge to you.

Extend the hand of kindness to strangers. Smile more. Make an effort to be happy and enjoy life. That happiness will seep out of you and into the next person, acting as an antidote of love whether they want it or not. Affecting one person a day in such a manner is three hundred and sixty five people per year. And that�s just from one person�s efforts. Saving the world is easy. It�s saving ourselves that is the big difficulty.

--The Irreverend�

�Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.� �Hanlon�s Razor