Why is there suffering in the world: A response to Brother Manyang David Mayar
5 min readBy John Agata, Nakuru, Kenya
Friday, June 8, 2018 (PW) — On Jan 11, 2018 I wrote a piece in form of a response to my brother Manyang David Mayar’s response: “New year is for proactive persons and not reactive individuals.” Manyang was responding to brother Zack Mayul’s statement: “Who really cares about the new year?”
In the process of discussion or rather the intellectual war of words, the “discussion” went soar whereby Manyang bursted bitterly, “wun lei cem e joo yin thin” , “I will treat these comments as Zack friends one-sided comments which are not honest.”
I was not impressed at all and even regretted why I involved myself at the first place but as the Bible goes, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” I dropped the matter. It wasn’t that easy but I just let it go since I am a firm follower of Jesus Christ.
The above three paragraphs serve as a keepsake of what actually happened that I believe with my openness and honesty about the matter up there it won’t happen again. And I need to be assured that my brother Manyang will, this time, treat this piece as solely mine. And mine alone.
Anyway, back to the discussion; before anything else I would like to pass a round of applause to my brother Manyang David Mayar for the commendable piece of writing entitled: “Why is there suffering in the world: A response to brother Zack Mayul.” The writeup is really aspiring and educative as well. The language is crisp and kudos for that brother.
In your article you’ve raised so many topics of concern ranging from a world without suffering, why people suffer when their ways are right with God, the only cure to our worries, story of the ten virgins to rejoicing in our suffering that boils down to one word: HAPPINESS.
According to you or rather according to your article, it’s not right for a person to be moody but rather wear a smile in the face of death, war, corruption and social injustices.
It’s also not right for a person to care about the relatives dying of hunger, the countrymen and countrywomen in Refugee Camps and the sisters being raped day in day out by the supposed peacekeepers in the country just because the diabolic deeds are physiognomies of living on this dark world.
Are these cloven-hoofed deeds really normal as you put it in your thingamabob? Do they happen in the world most peaceful countries such as Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal just to name a few.
If yes, then why do people ran to neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Congo for safety but rather stay in their countries since the suffering is universal and would find it in other countries?
Again you said in your article, sometimes we suffer for the wrong choices of our leaders and wrong choices of others. And to back up your argument on the origin of suffering, you took us to the garden of Eden where the first human beings — Adam and Eve led a peaceful life in the presence of God. They could not get sick nor hungry but when they parted ways with God hardship kicked in that you believed it’s still existing hitherto.
But I want to tell you brother Manyang that we are in a different era, not the time of Noah whereby collective judgement and punishment was cherished through Romans 2:6,10,11: “For He will repay according to each one’s deeds: but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”
What you would have considered before telling everyone to turn a blind eye to all the problems we are facing and pretend to celebrate a new year is that this country or rather this society consists of two tribes: the haves and the have nots.
The haves consist of anyone in the government and the wealthiest while the have nots consist of the peasants in the villages.
While the haves are busy enjoying their holidays in luxurious hotels and honeymoon in Madagascar and riding in expensive cars such as Porsche, they are expecting the have nots to do the same and this is exactly what my brother Manyang is telling brother Zack Mayul.
To put on a smile, ignore the social injustices, death, war and corruption hovering in our country like hawkers not knowing we are in two different tribes: the haves and the have nots.
Are these two groups facing same problems?
Are they excited by same things? Are they all experiencing the hardship that is now the Hallmark of South Sudan.
If yes, then why are the have nots in Refugee Camps and haves still maintaining their sedentary and luxurious lifestyle?
The author, John Agata, is currently pursuing a bachelor degree in economics from Ndejje University Kampala, Uganda. He’s currently writing from Nakuru, Kenya and can be reached via his email: awengjohnatem@gmail.com
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