When Bad Things Happen to Good People
- Inspiration
- Self-Help
- When Bad Things Happen to Good People
- Harold S. Kushner
When Harold Kushner’s three-year-old son was diagnosed with a degenerative disease and that he would only live until his early teens, he was faced with one of life’s most difficult questions: Why, God? Years later, Rabbi Kushner wrote this straightforward, elegant contemplation of the doubts and fears that arise when tragedy strikes. Kushner shares his wisdom as a rabbi, a parent, a reader, and a human being. Often imitated but never superseded, When Bad Things Happen to Good People is a c
List Price: $ 13.95
Price:
Accept Your Fate and Thrive,
Another book that I like to keep by my side at all times is 21 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy. It may not be as philosophically lofty as Kushner’s book, but it still offers practical tools for attaining some measure of happiness. For instance, one of the chapters deals with complaining and why you should give it up. Some might say that to complain is to be human, but complaining often leads to no valuable change. Even if the object of your complaint can’t be changed, the act of complaining is still irrelevant. I think that is important to realize when tragedy strikes or even when you just don’t feel good about a particular issue.
I, like many people, incurred an unfathomable loss in my family, and I would say that these books have helped me immensely on my road to recovery. I know that my loss is not some cosmically-sanctioned incident that’s apart of some greater divine machinery. It’s just random, and it’s unfortunate that it happened to me. It’s truly unfortunate when grave events happen to anyone, but I think it’s also important to pull yourself out of the doldrums.
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|A wonderfully-written perspective on God, life and suffering,
I read the original version of this book in the early 80’s (several times since), and what struck me was that Rabbi Kushner was able to reconcile a common Judeo-Christian view of God and causality with a perspective of life that holds a place for randomness and happenstance. Yes! Things happen in life that God has nothing to do with, and there is a way to find peace in accepting this. For those who enjoy contemplating and discussing the purpose of life, faith, and good & bad, you MUST read this book . . . then set aside some more time for thought and conversation.
If you’ve ever experienced the untimely loss of a loved one, or been through any traumatizing life experience, get this book. It is personal, thought-provoking, well-written, and very easy to understand. I am certain you will find comfort.
If you’re just simply interested in learing about God and the meaning of things in your life from a wonderful man and a great writer, get this book. Without intending to write a best-seller (read his Preface), Rabbi Kushner was able to put into words what I had been trying to figure out (despite loads of “help” from others) concerning God, how we should relate to Him, and what to do about all the things that happen to us during our lives.
This book is important; I give it my highest recommendation.
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|A Classic of profound knowledge…,
This book is a comfort for all people who have been forced to swallow such stupid sentiments in their times of grief and loss. It is an exploration of how we comfort each other in such terrifying times, and the dumb mistakes we make. Most of these sentiments wax on about God, why He created a world in which such pain exists: Is this all part of a greater good, a higher order? Is God testing you, expanding your soul for your own good? Has He taken your loved ones to a better place? This book gets right to the heart of the matter, that people in fact say such things as disguised justification for their own lack of understanding. They say things in defense of God to keep their world in order and the senseless tragedy in your life out of theirs. For example, someone might tell you, “God gave this grief to you as a test, because He loved you so very much, and knew you would become a better person for it,” (to which the author replies, “If only I had been a weaker person, my daughter would still be alive.”)
And yet, author Harold Kushner weaves this with a deep exploration of God and how He helps us and loves us. This is no cheap excuse for shallow religion. The knowledge Kushner shares has obviously been earned through incredible personal pain. You will never feel like some therapist is philosophizing about some subject they know nothing about – this is the Real Deal. Kushner makes no apologies or defense for his anger and pain, and fearlessly questions the ways we comfort each other, and God Himself. Having lost my own faith for a time, I found every word in this book deeply satisfying, the logic pure. Strong recommendation for anyone with deep pain in their life.
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|