Editor,

I promise you will not find me in this neighborhood to often but I have this inkling feeling that we are passing on a lot of responsibility and also blame to the Lord for what is going on on this earth.

I have attended funeral services for people who died before and right after birth, some died from of some sort of disease, some died from accident, some died for war, some died from natural disasters, some died from suicide, some were put to death as directed by law ... Everyone of these funerals had a common message, the death is allocated to and is in accordance with the Lord's Will.

Dr. Miss Puniani settled for the same conclusion in her letter of condolences to the late Prince Tu'ipelehake and his wife Princess Kaimana (with all due respect).

The issue here is that we are making out the Lord (tapu mo ia) to be a

mean and vengeful God. But He is not.

Last week, we buried a little baby that died from dehydration. "It is the Lord's will" said the the Reverend. But investigation is pending on the parents who passed out after an overnight party leaving the less than two months old baby without food or water until they woke up in the late afternoon.

My nephew that I loved so dearly committed suicide early this year. I have no solid fact and may never fully understand why this kid with a whole life in front decided to end it prematurely. The Faifekau's conclusion was, "koe pule 'ae 'Eiki".

We hear news of man-made as well as natural disasters killing thousands in in different parts of the world. The Clergies are up in front declaring that "this is the working of the Lord trying to tell us something" or "this is the Lord's punishing the unbelievers"

Some of us also believe that we lost rugby matches because we did something wrong in the presence of the Lord.

I was in Israel and visited several scene soon after an explosion from a suicide bomber. The Israeli Reporter sum up the way I feel about this issue..."this is an unfortunate site, a result of an action of a misguided coward, led by animals from an evil regime". The Lord has nothing to do with it.

Lord, please forgive us for blaming you all these years for our own stupidity. Give us the courage to accept full responsibility for our own actions.

Devi Dog Kava.

slkava [at] samoatelco [dot] com