Classes were suspended, travels by ferry and plane were cancelled and the authorities were put on alert as the country braced for another powerful typhoon - Santi - a day before All Saints’ Day.
Having seen the devastation that Ondoy and Pepeng has brought to so many of our countrymen, I can see why people would tend to blame God. First of all, the magnitude of the tragedy is so massive that it’s reasonable to conclude that only someone like God could pull it off. Second, we all believe God is all-good, all-loving, all-merciful, and all-powerful. If he has all the power to control things — and if He loves us — why did he allow this to happen? So it’s easy to blame God for this. Personally, I am thankful to God. I was praying very hard during the height of Ondoy. I was pleading, “Oh God, I know I promised to be good before, but now I really mean it, okay? Please, God, make this freakin’ rain stop!” Thankfully, all I had to deal with was a mini river at the ground floor of our house and the chaotic streets before making it at work . But for a lot of people, their prayers weren’t answered. A good number lost their lives, and many, many more lost loved ones, homes, cars, and possessions. And a lot are still suffering right now. I’m sure these people prayed, too. But how come they got devastated? While I don’t subscribe to the “Blame God” movement, I don’t blame them if they’re saying, “How come God allowed this to happen?” In these moments of misery and despair, we’re left with so many unanswered questions. So the tendency is to blame it to the ultimate mystery: God. But let me throw a question to all those who are tempted to join the “Blame God” bandwagon: Why not blame Satan? Hey, isn’t Satan the master of all evil things? How come I don’t hear anyone saying, “Satan did this”? Why not, right? Hey, if you’re even entertaining the thought that the Good Lord may be behind all this, why is it so farfetched to consider that perhaps the Ultimate Bad Guy may have something to do with it? Just a thought.
But seriously, now, while I don’t have the answer to all those who are blaming God, I do know one thing: blaming will not get us anywhere. We can blame God, Bayani Fernando, President Arroyo, Erap, or Hayden Kho for this tragedy until Judgment Day. But really, what does it do? What do we get for blaming? Zero. Nada. Nothing. If anything, it just makes us more upset. Because even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that it was indeed God who did it, what are you going to do about it? Stop attending Sunday Mass? In the end, what does your blaming do? Will it bring back your loved one? Will it bring back your house to the way it was? Will it make your fuel-injected car start again? Nope.
Don’t blame anyone when there’s absolutely no certainty as to whom to blame. And even if someone is to blame … don’t blame. Either you do something about it by confronting that person, or fight back to protect your rights. Blaming is for sissies. Blaming is for all those who are too lazy to do anything about their situation.
