Why good people often suffer most

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The barbaric December 16 gang rape of a student in a moving bus in Delhi by a pack of six perverted and inhuman men was not only heart rending and shocking, it was also a conundrum to me in the spiritual sense.

Why did a young girl, a budding professional, who worked so hard to come up in life, who supported herself and her family admirably, who was described as sensible and responsible by her father, who was full of dreams for the future, loved by all, have to go through a traumatic and excruciatingly painful ordeal like this?
Why was there no window of escape for her and her friend in that wretched bus? Why didn’t God come to her rescue in some form — like Lord Krishna to the aid of Draupadi when she was being disrobed? Why did the fervent prayers of almost an entire nation go unanswered in the aftermath of the incident?
Finally the oft asked million dollar question popped up. Why do bad things happen to good people? Is it our collective karma that such a gory crime was committed with impunity in our time with official laxity, social apathy and complete ignorance that a moving bus and an iron rod and six terrible men could wreak the most unspeakable violence on an unsuspecting couple? Where in God’s name are all the values in what was once a peace-loving nation?
Losing someone in ordinary circumstances is hard enough but for the girl’s family to lose an only daughter in such a brutal fashion is certainly not something they can come to terms with. What stands out in this painful event is the spirit of the girl — in the bus, in the hospital and even on the airplane in which she was airlifted to Singapore. She did not go down without a fight. Such tremendous spirit must be saluted and celebrated.
It may not be entirely in context but in Chapter 18, the Bhagavad Gita talks of the natural duties of a Kshatriya and lists valour, vigour, fortitude, resourcefulness, skill in action, standing up firmly to the enemy (whatever kind of battle is involved) munificence and leadership (of a kind that inspires others). This girl displayed exactly that and fought like a true warrior standing up to the enemy, defending herself, even tried to call the police before her phone was snatched away and in a sense she and her friend towered over the enemies.
What’s more, India’s daughter brought a nation’s people together and is in a way the catalyst for change. She has since become an icon of courage. Which is why I am tempted to think that perhaps she was the chosen one for all of this to happen.
But since we mortals believe that with death it is all over, our loss is intensified even more. The point to remember is that when someone dies it is only the physical form that is discarded while the soul and spirit remains. We should lift the veil which clouds our vision and makes us identify ourselves with the body, this world we inhabit and life on earth, forgetting the fact that we are all a part of the divine and there is a bit of the universal self in us.
The Bhagavad Gita reminds us: “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” (2.20)
Self-blame and asking oneself why, is also something people do when things go wrong. There is an anecdote in the Bible which in a way tells us that whatever happens is all a part of God’s plan. It is about a visually challenged man and people trying to figure the cause for this handicap: “As he (Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’”
The Koran says that all believers, even the most virtuous, will be tested to see who is steadfast in their belief and who is not. Those who hold on firmly in the face of the bitterest odds by their unswerving faith and complete acceptance are rewarded richly and enjoy the company of God. The bottom-line is that trials in life are a given and no one can be exempt from it. While it may look like all the sinners are getting away sometimes even with murder, what is actually happening is that they are getting mired deeper and deeper with their transgressions, in what is a preparation for a bitter and humiliating defeat in the Hereafter. Christian scriptures too reinforce the fact that an eternity of punishment awaits sinners and that this life span is miniscule in comparison.
We may live in the worst of times but ultimately the Law of Dharma will prevail in the court of God.