God said, “The world is a play, a children’s game, and you are the children.” God speaks the truth. If you haven’t left the child’s play, how can you be an adult?
A Children’s Game by Rumi
The world we live in is full of problems. There is no single day that we never hear any suffering in human lives. From the moment of human history, we have never ceased to kill one another as if murder is part of the embedded human gene.
Greedy organizations exploit people’s lives, causing grievance, terrorism, and assassination. One country attacks another, causing millions of death of innocent people. Abruptly, their happy lives got evaporated with a snap of fingers.
Despite the advancement of human civilizations throughout the millennia, we still suffer from various problems in life, from disease to poverty to warfare, as if we are born to be sick, poor, and hate one another.
Where are hope, peace, compassion, and love? We are supposed to know the value of these virtues. All religious teachings cover them, yet they painted our human histories with the fanatic, brutal color of blood. In reality, we still suffer and even kill others by seeking them.
According to the Bible, our first human brothers couldn’t keep a peaceful relationship. Instead, one killed another. Cain hated Abel because of their God.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Genesis 4:8-10
We can still hear the voice of Abel’s blood crying from the ground everywhere. We are indeed Cain and Abel, either killing or killed. Their stigma got deeply embedded into our human nature. What is an awful curse we have!
Why is that so?
Despite this brutal reality, ironically, I could recall the words of Rumi above-mentioned. We are still in the children’s play. Children don’t know anything about their lives, so the world is only a playground. The conflicts we suffer in this world are not so much as the children’s role-playing games.
After all, even both Cain and Abel were still too young at that time from God’s perspective. They were so self-absorbed and immature that a minor pride issue caused the violent result. While we must never trivialize the murder incident, Cain’s act was “childish.” Probably, Abel could also care for Cain to prevent his wrath if Abel was not so “childish,” either.
From God’s perspective, we are still too childish to avoid any kinds of stupid actions like the kids who never stop fighting over silly, silly reasons.
Look at the world leaders, global achievers, and the like. They are the winners of their child plays in this world on earth. Rumi said:
It’s a squabble with play-swords. No purpose, totally futile. Like kids on hobby horses, soldiers claim to be riding Boraq, Muhammad’s night-horse, or Duldul, his mule.
A Children’s Game by Rumi
Why are our lives full of suffering? Because we are still children playing with petty pride and nonsense, which could be cute and charming as the world around us looks colorful and prosperous. And yet it is also as messy as the children’s playground.
How can we get out of this mess? Let’s accept the truth that we are as stupid children as Cain and Abel!
And yet, let’s not get disappointed! For, we are the children of God. Despite all the cruelties of the world, we are not orphans at all. Everything must start with this realization.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1 John 3:1-2
And we are the children of the light.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
Ephesians 5:8
Let’s accept that we are stupid children! Only then we can see the light shines in the darkness, realizing the truth that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
Thus, we walk in the light as God’s children. And can we solve all the problems in the world? God forbid. The world is still as is. We are still stupid and childish. But we know the true hope, peace, compassion, and love, where they come from beyond our childish playground.
Image by Maike und Björn Bröskamp
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