This post is intended to serve as a direct follow-up to my previous post, “Suffering Carried Out by Human Evil.” We examined the root cause of suffering in the Oracles Against the Nations; that is, human evil. We compared their atrocious crimes with a frontrunning contemporary example, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Humans are capable of inflicting other humans with tremendous pain and suffering. On the flip-side of that, humans are capable of bettering the world in which we live, by showing love and compassion. That is the focus of the present entry.
While there are no ways to remove the pain and suffering caused by evil humans, there are steps we can take to minimize it. They are countless. Can you fight suffering by advocating for social reform? Donating to charities? Tithing? Of course you can, and I certainly hope that you engage in such activities (maybe not the latter…). But these outward expressions must develop from inward intentions, in order for such actions to make any difference in the world we live in. Minimizing suffering does not come from mere donations or advocacy alone; it starts within you.
Looking to Amos
How have we seen Amos address the problem of suffering thus far? Humans do wrong, so God punishes them. God causes suffering. Humans cause suffering. Humans act out of evil. God punishes evil with evil. It seems the circle has no end. We cannot end the evil nature of humankind. We cannot adjust God’s anger. You can pray that God will let up, but how often do we see this fulfilled? I will not answer that question here; my concern is not whether you pray, whether you are religious, or whether you are a good, moral person. My concern is, what are you doing to alleviate suffering?
To state the obvious, suffering is related to evil. Where does evil reside? And from where is it born? It comes straight from the heart. Whether humans are inherently good or evil, again, I will let you decide. Whether you agree with the idea of a “sinful nature,” it would be foolish to deny the existence of evil within all of us. While we need to accept this as a fact, we do not have to embrace it or let it define us.
God’s Lament
I would like to introduce one passage from Amos that stands out to me. In Yahweh’s lament and call for repentance in Amos 5, the angry, vengeance seeking God provides a few lines that are beneficial not only to this study, but to the betterment of our world. He says:
“Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.” Amos 5:14-15, New International Version, 2011.
Whether God upholds his end of the deal should not be our concern. These words compose a timeless and universal calling: hate evil, love good. The evil nature that resides within you? Hate it. The pain and suffering felt by the innocent in this world? Hate it. Don’t just say it upsets you. Don’t just say it’s a problem. Hate it. Fight it. Do not sit by idly while all the chaos in this world ensues. Do something!
Start with you. Do not let your evil or “fallen” nature get the best of you or control you. We have all committed acts of evil, whether they are sins, crimes, transgressions, or rebellions. To minimize the suffering in the world, we have to restrict such actions. I do not mean to imply that you should let your anger boil up inside, because eventually, it will overflow, and you will “thresh” someone or something. My point is, do not let the evil in you control you.
Call to Action
I mentioned in the previous post that, according to Amos, God fights fire with fire. Are we to do the same? Absolutely not. I call on you, instead, to fight fire with water. Fight evil with good. Fight hatred with love. It all starts from within. Are you mad at someone? Do not berate them. Love them. Plead your case and explain why you are angry. But do so without hurting the other person. Have they caused you to suffer? Maybe so. Are you justified in making them suffer? No. Can you resolve the situation without hurting the other person? More likely than not!
Donating to UnitedWay is not going to change the world. Giving money to your church is not going to end suffering. Sitting in services on Sundays certainly is not going to make a difference. But the way you treat the people who surround you will make a difference. Small acts of kindness go a long way. Do not be afraid to show love and humility. If you see someone who is suffering, put your arm around them. Tell them that you love them. Tell them that they are not alone. Accept that everyone you encounter is probably suffering to some degree. And you could be the one to change that.
In closing, I would like to reflect on the Golden Rule. You are familiar with it: it is the command to treat others as you would like to be treated. While you probably attribute this saying to Jesus (or Lev. 19:18 if you know your Hebrew Bible!), it actually originated centuries before he walked the earth. It existed before Leviticus was composed. The earliest literary form is derived from the ancient Egyptian story “The Eloquent Peasant” (dates between 2040 and 1650 BCE) where we find, “Do to the doer to make him do.”1 I will not give an exhaustive, or even concise historical treatment the evolution of the Golden Rule, but I want to highlight another facet of this command: it is a universal rule.
Conclusion
We find it in the works of Zarathustra in Persia, Confucius in China, Thales in Greece, and, of course, in the Bible.2 The truth of this rule is timeless, and it knows no cultural, ethical, or religious boundaries. There is enough hatred and divisiveness in this world. Do not be a contributor. A simple word of pride or selfishness hatred makes you one who inflicts suffering upon others. There is an alternative. It is love. Show it in every word and every action. Hate evil; love good.
I would like to close with a reflection on the words of the most important person in the Bible. That person is Yeshua. Is he the Son of God? I don’t know. Is he a deity? I don’t know. Is he the second figure of this divine triangle known as the trinity? Maybe, but again, I do not know. However, I consider him to be the wisest and most influential to ever walk the earth. I believe he is a historical figure. I believe that whether you are religious or not, Christian or not, you can find practical application of his messages. Imagine if we focused more on his teachings than those of Paul, Peter, James, etc. Instead of hearing Paul condemn homosexuals and women who want to follow Jesus (whether these are redactions, as I believe, or not), imagine if we focused on Jesus’ call to show love endlessly.
1. Swidler, Leonard. “The ‘Golden Rule’: The ‘Best Rule.’” Journal of ecumenical studies. 54, no. 2 (2019): 279, https://doi.org/10.1353/ecu.2019.0008.
2. Ibid., 280.