“Oh yeah? You think you’ll fly planes into buildings, bomb schools, and try to play God? That’s *my* domain and if you try to encroach upon it, I’ll show you how *I* do it, and trust me, you won’t like it.” I am not sure about this part. Also, there is nothing “best” in all of this. Ofcourse there are scientific reasons and its a natural disaster. Other than being prepared to handle future disasters in a better way there is not a lot we can do. There is no way we can stop these things from happening in future. So just lend your hand when such things happen and yes ! human sprit will thrive.

I’ve always been a believer of the phrase — ‘whatever happens, happens for the best’. Actually, the version I use goes — ‘If you don’t bear malice or ill will towards another person and do good to the world around you, whatever happens to you, happens for the best, even if it doesn’t seem that way at first’. –
This phrase which I have heard from hundreds of people is something I dont really agree with in the form that you put it. Its a reassuaring way to live ofcourse. I think a better argument is that whatever life hands out to me which is not in my control, I will take it and will try to make the most of it. If someone is injured in an accident and loses his legs or loses a loved one for instance I cant really understand how it can be good for him, however to live his life later, he can say ok I will live with what I have and make the most of it. If life gives you lemons then you make lemonade, thats fine, but the fact that life gave you lemons is in itself not good is it ? You can “make” it good, sure.
This is also somehow related to the phenomena called Cognitive Disonance.

Methinks this is God’s way of telling man that he’s the boss. His way of saying — Oh yeah? You think you’ll fly planes into buildings, bomb schools, and try to play God? That’s *my* domain and if you try to encroach upon it, I’ll show you how *I* do it, and trust me, you won’t like it.This is also a twist to the classic response which goes by “This is God’s punishment to you mere mortals for being bad “..
But who decides who deserves it ? Why should some of the poorest people in the world lose all of their belongings and the loved ones ?

Do read this :
http://middlestage.blogspot.com/2004/12/do-you-still-believe-in-god.html

My mom says the same thing :)
Of course, I like your version better. It’s got the “Be nice or bad things will happen to you” ring to it :D

On a serious note, though, I prefer to believe in “Everything happens for a reason”, rather than “Everything happens for the best”. Best for whom? Best in what context? Best in the long term, or best in the short term? And best for how long?

And I have slightly different thoughts on the whole “God’s Will” thing. Those interested may read them at God’s Will? : Celestial Conversations – XVI.

About the whole Tsunami Help blog effort Megha, I must say Kudos to you and the team for the great work you’ve done. I’m sure the success stories make all the hard work worth it.
And last but not the least, fantastic work on the template of that blog!

On a personal note, I found out how much my kid bro had grown up, when he and most of his class in IIT-Kha’pur, with some of their professors volunteered for relief work in various capacities. Hopefully this is an indicator of the levels of initiative and activism towards which the general populace is heading.

These are probably the elusive silver linings that we can try and see, in what has been a human tragedy of mammoth proportions. I admit that no amount of rationalizing can ever even aspire to nullify the grief, awe and sheer helplessness that we all feel.

Megha, God has humbled us, but I don’t think God’s being vindictive. God loves us, and everything fits into the Almighty’s scheme of things.

Liked the Einstein quote :) Einstein never accepted that the universe was governed by chance; his feelings were summed up in his famous statement “God does not play dice.”

Welcome back. We’ve all missed your posts :)