About suffering, the Elder Zosima says that since God is kind and just, all the suffering comes from man. But since everyone's lives are connected, Elder Zosima says, we cannot blame anybody: "[A]ll is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending; a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth". Instead of demanding justice, he says everyone should begin changing and forgiving each other. Instead of saying, "nobody is guilty", he says, "everybody is responsible".