Reading that statement reminds me of a few movies where the character explains some random occurrence as “it happened for a reason”. I think that many people subscribe to that belief. I am not sure how it is meant exactly. Does it mean that in your own life, everything happens for a reason because, due to decisions and choices made, certain outcomes can be expected? I am thinking that some people may think that it means that there is some grand design, and especially hardship and tragedies don’t just occur randomly, that there is a greater meaning to those acts. I can understand the desire to believe in that philosophy, it gives some semblance of comfort to those who need it, some sense of that you are not in this world suffering alone, some sense that you are part of something bigger, grander than you alone and that you fit into the greater scheme of things. I suppose that I am rambling on with questions and suppositions because I find it hard to believe that things happen for a reason outside of my reality. I know that actions have consequences, sometimes those consequences are a long time in coming. Consequences also doesn’t necessarily have to mean something bad, it is simply an outcome resulting from decisions taken or choices made. Maybe, I am uncomfortable with this topic because, upon reading the question, my first impulse was to think of my father and his murder in 2003. That senseless murder has never made any sense to me and the saying “everything happens for a reason” rings false and hollow. There was and is no reason to my father no longer being here in the grand scheme of the universe. The only thing that I have to hold on to, is that my father’s extremely poor decision and choice he made that night contributed to his untimely murder. I pains me to admit this, but my father had been drinking that night and for some reason, on his way home from work that night, he stopped at a Bodega for something and unfortunately ran into 2 gang members. They stole his money and beat him to death. His choice to drink and his impaired decision to stop at a Bodega instead of going directly home led him to be at a place, confronted by violent criminals, which resulted in his death. My understanding of things happening as a result of action and consequence doesn’t provide me with any comfort. I just feel an incredibly deep sadness that sometimes used to consume me. Over time, it has lessened to simple sadness. I don’t know that if I believed in a grand design, if I would find any comfort from that. The outcome is still the same, my father is gone, cut away from us, way to early for me, in my estimation. So, I still struggle with the question. Sometimes, I think that I struggle because some part of me is reluctant to give myself over to believing in something greater than what I am. Which is odd because I spent all of my childhood years in catholic schools with the nuns, the Franciscan brothers and the priests. So you would think that I had this covered, but I don’t. I’ll just continue to sort this internal debate slowly at my own pace. I’ll reconcile this issue within myself eventually.
laurieanichols 