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The supernatural, comfort, and values in a time of tragedy

When bad things happen to good people, or an entire nation, how do we find comfort?  How do we explain what happened to ourselves and to our children?  What language do we use?

Many people turn to God, or the idea of God, particularly in the time of loss, fear, or tragedy.  But what do people who do not believe in God or the supernatural do?  How do they comfort each other and themselves?  What words do they use? 

Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, of the Society for Humanistic Judaism shared his thoughts on The Todd Feinburg Show last Saturday.  Rabbi Wine was a speaker at The New Humanism conference held in Cambridge, MA on April 20-22, sharing a panel with Salman Rushdie and the Reverend Doctor William Murry. 

He said we must teach our children to be strong, to face unpleasant truths, and to accept the limitations of human power and control. 

If you were a parent who had lost a child at Virginia Tech, Rabbi Wine would say that what happened to you was a terrible tragedy, that he is sorry, and that he loves you.  He believes that saying something good will come out of it, such as it’s God’s will, diminishes the magnitude of the tragedy.

To listen to Rabbi Wine’s message, listen here to Part 1 (it may be faster to right-click and download the audio file).

Rabbi Wine’s words and the topic generated so many calls, the remaining two hours of The Todd Feinburg Show were on this topic.  Listen here:

Part 2
Part 3