Do we really believe that everything happens for a reason? Or do we say that to soften the blow?

Question

Often times in life things will happen that will leave us with nothing but questions. You spend the next 20 years of your life behind bars because you were framed, the love of your life gets blind sided by a drunk driver on a thursday morning, your stillborn child never knowing what the junior prom is. Are our lives predestined? Is there a masterplan behind all of this? Or is every instance of life just a series of random unrelated occurrences? And is it a cop out to say that everything does indeed happen for a reason?

Answer 1

while we cant know for sure, i think we often use that saying, to help us deal with things that are just too hard to handle,,,,,to find a reason in what makes no sense at all,,, we tend to use it for the negative/bad things, yet we dont so often for the good,,,,, for good we might say something just worked out due to fate, or luck,,,, but we sure dont take it so serious as the negative,,

Answer 2

In all actuality a human life is made up of nothing more than a series of choices made by that individual, so yes everything happens for a reason simply because for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Lets say that the wife that got creamed by a drunk driver had chosen not to get into the car that day, she would still be alive, had the drunk driver called a cab, the wife would still be alive. Each of those two individual human lives intersected in a catastrophic way simply because of the choices they made that day. You could go into the whole God and greater power issue but even God gave of "free will" meaning the ability to make our own choices. Yes everything happens for a reason but you are the reason.

Answer 3

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think that when a tragedy occurs it probably happens for the enlightenment of both the person it happens to and those who are left. Those who die do so to enable those left behind to experience a deep emotion. In other words I'm saying there is another life. Also those who die young may need this experience or else they are volunteers for a special job. I also believe that most on Earth get to experience a vast range of emotions. You get to experience the same emotion as your best friend but it doesn't mean you have gone through the same experience.For instance a family may lose a child, and someone without a family may lose his faithful dog in tragic circumstances. On the surface there is no comparison yet both parties have lost "their reason for living." The pain is the same. At least in the short term. The pain may ease in different ways over time, and we assume that the lost child will never be forgotten. For most dog lovers the dog will never be forgotten either. So what I'm saying is it's not about your life, it's about the emotions you go through in your life.
There you have a small idea of what I believe. I don't believe in "God" but I believe in "Gods" who **** up your life. Cvnts who force you. Otherwise why would you do anything?
Why do we live? "****** if I know."
Why do we keep going? "Hope."
I apologise to non Americans for having to self censor.

Answer 4

Life can be cruel and unfair. No question. Terrible tragedies occur that are overwhelming. I certainly wouldn't say that they are "meant to happen" & yet I do believe things happen for a reason. Every experience has something to teach you. The old cliche is true: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Sometimes life knocks you down but when you get back up, you're a better person than you were before. Adversity builds character. It can be the inspiration & motivation to improve yourself or the world, to make a difference, to fight injustice, etc. Sometimes we are lost without knowing it & life gives us a sign, harsh though it might be, of the direction we're meant to take.

Sometimes we bring about our own tragedies though we don't like to admit responsibility. A lot of people will blame their problems on "bad luck" & not see that their negative thinking is actually attracting bad things to them. Your thoughts have an energy. Thinking positive draws good things to you. The law of attraction (quantum physics). I've seen it happen in my own life.

There have been times I thought I couldn't go on. I thought I would die from grief. Somehow you survive & find the beauty in life again. Sometimes you have to plummet to the depths of despair before you can soar to the heights of joy. Sometimes you have to lose to find. Life is not random & meaningless. You have to make the most of each day whatever it brings. Sometimes it takes a slap in the face to wake you up & make you appreciate how precious life is.

Answer 5

There is nothing that is ever unrelated. The small world effect (type into wikipeadia to find out more) takes care of that. The only randomness is who it will happen to next.

But yes I do believe that the phrase 'everything happens for a reason' is a gigantic cop out, they just don't want to admit to the fact that life is not fair and there is no master plan. Things happen, that's it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

All chaos is harmony misunderstood. We can't see the big picture moving so every small move seems random and uncalculated. We can't tell what will happen at a small level, but we do know what will happen in the largescale. Let me give you an example: Your body. You lose cells all of the time. You cells are constantly being born and dying. It's like a whole 'nother universe. A whole different world, and in this world the cells live and die, which one's exactly who knows? But we do know that cells will live and die and that the overall process of the human organism that is behind these small actions will be maintained. It's like human beings here, we don't know which one's will live and die, and what happens and why, but we do know that it does happen and that the overall process of the universe's structure will continue to thrive, until it is no longer meant for us to do so.

Answer 7

I believe things do happen for a reason. The main things though, not the little things like, "I brushed my teeth at 3:00 today instide of 8:00". So does that mean something? I really don't think so but, ppl that have unexpected kids or ppl that get hurt to the point of really bad in a car accident, I do think those things happen for a reason.

Answer 8

I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Now i'm not saying it happens because of a god or anything like that but i do believe in karma and vibes. I think that everyone in your life comes in for a reason. Just think of the random people you pass everyday with no contact. so to me the people brought into my life are here for a reason and our journey in life is to find out why. I've lived in many places and have had many friends and i do think of many of them every now and then. And i wonder if they ever think of me. Back to the point, lol, Karma i think has a lot to do with events in your life.

Answer 9

"that youngster died so as that human beings come across the right thanks to emphasise extra wisely." in reality someone did study, if no longer the total community, to emphasise extra intently. "yet another ex: newborn born disfigured. he's teased horribly and ultimately dies of suicide." someone if no longer a set of human beings have realized some form of compassion....with any luck. this stuff defined look extra like reason and result. besides the indisputable fact that, there are those who say such stupid, ignorant, and unbiblical issues mutually with this, properly it hap pend therefore or that. who's to assert why some thing handed off? the reality is, existence takes position, from time to time there's a deeper meaning from God, different cases a extra secular one. Jesus did prepare about such issues, that chaos and evil do no longer consistently take position as some punishment from God, yet they do take position, for in spite of reason, we ought to keep in mind that God is on acceptable of issues. As for WHY does one have a depressing existence interior the first position? properly, why does the wind blow this manner and not that? Who is conscious that question both. some say its do to some form of karma or previous deed, yet Jesus recommended us that it's not for the moves or reason behind ones personal deed's why they're borne to misfortune or riches. the reality is each person is given a hand in existence. in spite of that hand is, one ought to make do with it and act upon it interior the will of God. there is constantly a decision. I have considered detrimental and downtrodden upward push and make some thing of themselves, and understand human beings that had what they wanted and enable all of it go waist. human beings make selections, each person is laid low with others selections and themselves who made it, human beings can triumph over evil executed upon them, and those who did evil can repent.

Answer 10

I think we're the authors of our own lives in that we create meaning out of the meaningless chaos of what happens in life. There is no meaning to what happens, but we need to believe that there is because of the way our minds operate, so we imagine causes, effects, and patterns.

And if you think about it, even the past changes over time. History is constantly being re-understood, and reinterpreted. We are changing the past retroactively.