A Conflict
In Saki’s story, the story teller tells the story
Of a virtuous school girl,
Who lost her life—
Precisely because of her virtues, as it were.
The medals she was wearing,
Which she had won for her virtues,
Clinked and gave her away
When she was hiding;
And the preying wolf had his dinner!
Now, if God protects the virtuous,
Why should such things happen, fact or fiction?
Can’t people’s virtues protect them?
Then why talk of God’s love?
Is this, then, a God-forsaken world,
In which we are all souls, given up for lost?
Similar questions do arise in anyone’s mind,
As it happened to Jeremiah and Hopkins,
Which reaction social psychologists would call
Cognitive dissonance, an uneasiness
That arises when we hold
Two conflicting opinions—at the same time.
God is love: God is indifferent.
We tend to use, in the circumstances,
Our common sense, which may and does cause
Certain blind spots: We are likely to become
Insensitive to some of our own mistakes and lapses,
Which would get us into trouble—
In the very moment of safety or success!
If, instead, we stay positive and patient
(Which, I would say, always go together),
Then, out-of–the-box thinking starts working,
As it did for Viktor Frankl or John Gray.
We will be able to find better answers.
Why not try?
***
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