Weeds

"Where would the gardener be if there were no more weeds?"
Chaung Tzu

You probably wonder why there are so many things wrong with the world. Why are there wars and hunger and poverty and disease and drugs. If God is so compassionate, how could he allow such suffering among people? If he loves us unconditionally, why does he allow us to be treated so badly?

Some people say it's because God gave us free will and people brought this upon themselves. Maybe people have an unconscious wish to suffer. This is one possible answer, even if it is hard for most of us to swallow. Why would anyone want to suffer? They obviously wouldn't, on a conscious level.

But where would the gardener be if there were no more weeds? What would happen if everything happened exactly the way we wanted it to. A fascinating glimpse into the possibilities comes from the book "the Giver" by Louis Lowry. A perfect society is impossible.

People are born to grow and develop, and if everything were already perfect they would be bored and miserable because there would be no problems to solve and learn from, and no learning means no growth. The real fun in having a garden comes from tending to it; getting rid of the weeds, and solving any other problems that get in the way of healthy and beautiful flowers.

If there were only beauty, people would come to not even notice it. They wouldn't know it was beautiful because there would be nothing ugly to contrast it with. They wouldn't appreciate beauty because it would be all they knew. There would be nothing to compare it with and find it better.

Be grateful for all the difficulties in your life. They were put there for your own growth, development, and improvement, since God really does love you unconditionally. He knows that suffering is actually good for you since it makes you aware of and appreciative of the beauty in the world, and keeps you learning and growing. The gardener needs those weeds to keep him busy enjoying life.

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