*FYI: This week’s edition of Poetry in the Dark was sent at the same time as this reflection*
A fascinating concept has come within my purview over the last week. It’s been brewing for quite some time with my intellectual perusing into different philosophies like pessimism, and now the question at hand has crystallized:
How can God be brought into the horrific?
The pessimist would say “no”. In fact, he would argue that it is this point precisely that proves the non-existence of God. How could God exist if horrible things (child murder, genocide, rape, etc.)? At the very least, if God does exist, He would either be evil, manipulative, or not care at all.
The optimist would most likely take the free will/“everything happens for a reason” route. God exists and gave humans free will, and horrific things are a byproduct of that. In the end, however, everything somehow evens out for the better. I must say, in all the arguments I’ve heard to defend this stance, it falls flat every time. Where exactly is the justice for the child who was murdered at age 5? “Heaven” doesn’t quite suffice.
I can honestly say I have no idea what the answer to this question is, but I have a hunch that the answer lies somewhere in the middle of both poles. I tend to agree with the pessimists in that some things are just too damn gruesome. They create a sort of cognitive dissonance that is unable to be explained away by optimists; however I do not think this necessarily precludes the idea of God or Higher Power. The way things are is exactly how they should be, because no other structure is possible (I will go into this in a future reflection). Maybe this means that God is in everything and everything, no matter how horrific, is part of a greater plan. On the other hand, maybe this means that God is nowhere to be found in the horrific, and this reality we live in is governed as much by chaos as it is by order. I don’t know, I’m just spitballing here…
Another interesting question this brings up is what do we define as horrific? Where’s the line? Child murder is objectively horrifying and pretty much everyone can agree. But what about things that are not so black and white? For instance, what about the devoted wife whose husband cheats on her for their entire lives, with endless lovers, in all kinds of perverted ways? She dies and never knows the things that were done in the dark. Does this classify as horrific? Where is God in situations of betrayal, disrespect and perversion? Is it justifiable to place God into one situation and not the other? I don’t really know where I’m going with this, but I do know it’s a very complex situation.
What I can see very clearly here is one important lesson: avoid the horrific at all costs. Ladies and gentlemen, somehow we’ve found our way to Pascal’s Wager. The only action to be taken against the question is to not engage in the horrific to begin with. Granted, this is an impossibility, as we will all encounter horrific situations, but if we avoid playing part in their creation, we will inevitably encounter them less.
That’s about the best I got this one. It’s a really interesting question - I would love to hear your thoughts.
EDIT: As soon as I published this article, my I asked my little brother this question and his answer shocked me. To him, horrific events are actually meant for the observer, not for the one experiencing them. In his worldview, those experiencing horror are meant to do so for the sake of those observing, and “they will be fine in the end, that was their purpose.” I’m not sure if the way I’m relaying this makes any sense, but his answer blew my fucking mind. I’d never heard that before.
COLIN!!!