We cannot know the cheshbonos of the Ribbono Shel Oilam and therefore we cannot say why individuals suffer. Some people do suffer more than others. And when Hashem sends a collective punishement on klal Yisrael, innocent rightous individuals get punished too. Today people who have painful lives doesn’t necasserily mean that they are sinful people. We cannot know Hashem’s cheshbonos why individuals suffer.
However Klal Yisroel as a whole, when we are collectively punished, we know this is because of our sins or because we are in golus and Hashem wants to remind us of that fact.
In Spain and Portugal, Jews had high postitions in the government, Jews were rich and influential. But Hashem sent the Inqisition to remind the Jews not to get to comfortable or forget that they are Jews.
In Germany too, the majority of German Jews considered themselves Germans first and Jewish second. German Jews were assimilating and were trying to be more German than the Germans. Well, Hashem made the Germans hate the Jews to such an extent that Jews cannot anymore say that they are more German than Jewish.
I’m a little worries that we are getting too comfortable in America. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be good citizens. Rather the way we live our lives is as if golus is over.
Hashem should protect us and turn our hearts towards Him in goodness and no more tragedies should befall us.