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and said to him, "It would have been better if we had never been born than to have to live in a world of sin and suffering without understanding why things happen as they do."
13
The angel Uriel answered, "I once went into the woods and heard the trees plotting together.
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They were saying, "Let's go to war against the sea and push it back, so that we may have more room.'
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But the waves of the sea also plotted together and said, "Let's conquer the woods and extend our territory.'
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But all the plotting of the trees was useless because fire came and destroyed them.
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And the plotting of the sea was just as useless because the sand stood firm and blocked its advance.
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Now, if you were the judge and had to decide between them, which would you pronounce right?"
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I replied, "They were both wrong, because trees belong on the land, and waves belong in the sea."
20
"You have given the right answer," he said. "So why can't you see the answer to your own problems?
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For just as trees have their place on land, and waves have their place in the sea, so the people of this world can understand only what goes on in this world, and only heavenly beings can understand what goes on in heaven."
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"Please tell me, sir," I asked, "why then was I given the ability to understand anything?