Understanding evil

The evening conference of the preacher was on evil and suffering. I was pleasantly surprised to see him dwell on the positive side of it and never once did he try to make a pietistic mash of it all. He was very sensible and down to earth practical in speaking about evil in the context of a loving God... quite like that of my theodicy class (of course, it wasn't as rational as I would have spoken, if given a chance). Rightly so as he pointed out, there is no ready-made solution for evil. Worse still there isn't any fast-food style remedy for evil either. So in the precise moment of pain, suffering and faced with evil all that counts is the attitude that one has developed all along the way. No instant remedy will help in the long run (neither in the exact moment). The best way of encountering evil is to view it as part of life and certainly not take the blame straight to God. Most importantly are the lessons we draw from such experiences. For as the preacher began,

Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut as as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.

James Russel Lowell