God and the barber - why is there so much suffering in the world?
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A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and
his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the
barber who attended him. They talked about so many things and various
subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said:
"Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say." "Why do you say that?" asked the client. "Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things." The client stopped for a moment thinking, but he didn't want to respond so as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the barber. "Well, I am here and I am a barber." "No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!"- affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world." |