Voices of Faith q & a

June 25, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. Why do some people experience a lot of bad things and others hardly any?

The Rev. R.L. Baynham, pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church, Kansas City, Kan.:

A. In this world, there are variables that affect all of life: good, kindness, evil, ugly, and the list goes on and on.

Man is cultivated by the choices of many.

When we are born, we have no choices. We live in a world that has already made choices for us. Is that bad or good? Only time will tell the outcome. What takes place in the meantime will depend on how we respond to things that are given to us.

Interestingly, life can respond favorably and profitably when we recognize that every bad thing does not mean the end. Sometimes, it can mean an opportunity to approach our situation with a new set of values.

Life is a challenge and must be met with an attitude that if bad things happen to us, then we should decide to make the best of what is given .

Ultimately, we have a great deal to do with what happens, good or bad.

Lama Chuck Stanford, Rime Buddhist Center & Monastery:

A. It is important to qualify your question by asking what is meant by the term “bad things.”

Twenty-five-hundred years ago, the Buddha observed that everything in this phenomenal world is impermanent — nothing lasts. Accepting the fact that our world is impermanent and ever-changing can help us better deal with unexpected changes.

From a Buddhist perspective, everything that happens to us is a result of karma from this lifetime or from past lifetimes. Karma is the cosmic law of cause and effect. H.H. Dalai Lama says, “If you want to know what your past life was like, look at your current situation. If you want to know what your future life will be like, then look at your current actions.”

So, while we may not have control over everything that happens to us, we do have control over how we respond to them.

If we respond with anger, we are only generating more negative karma.

Therefore, we should do our best to always respond with kindness and compassion, regardless of the situation.

2011, The Kansas City Star