Everything Happens For A Reason?

[Ashley]

Something that is often said, mostly when things go wrong. ("Oh don't worry, everything happens for a reason. It'll be okay soon.") But what’s everyone’s thought about this statement?

 

Looking at where I am now and where I am going (i.e. home and America) I can look back and explain how it came to be because of what happened. If I never moved out I wouldn't have experienced what it was like to live independently and thus gained 'real world experiences', which made me realise I loved it. However when my landlady lost her job I had to move back, which motivated me to look for other things and decided to do a semester abroad and will be living on campus next semester.

 

Going into my second year of uni (well I will be in August) I am far happier than I am when I went into my first and I feel it is because of everything that’s happened?

 

Or is it all just coincidental?

Is it a question of fate?

[Slaggis]

Fate doesn't excist. Coincidence does. Simple.

 

I dont think everything happens for a reason, its just coincidence, i'm sure

[Raining_again]

I do think things happen for a reason for sure. Bad shit happens and you learn from it and it brings something positive. Like the world balancing itself out. Or along those lines.

[Ellmeister]

It don't think everyething happens for a reason, whats the reason for an Earthquake in Kent? How will that help anyone...

 

An earthquake in a 3rd world country could be given a silver lining as help the rest of the world show awareness maybe... but in Kent WTF.

 

I don't like to think of this stuff, I don't like the idea that everything is predetermined somehow.

[ViPeR]

I do think things happen for a reason for sure. Bad shit happens and you learn from it and it brings something positive. Like the world balancing itself out. Or along those lines.

 

I was typing and realised that was basically the same point as mine. So, ditto.

[Eenuh]

I don't think things happen for a certain reason, but that we look back on them and then just give them a reason. Simply because that's human nature I think; we like to be able to understand what's happening around us.

[Aimless]

I don't think things happen for a certain reason, but that we look back on them and then just give them a reason. Simply because that's human nature I think; we like to be able to understand what's happening around us.

This lady's got it sussed.

 

In hindsight we apply reason to how things played out, but the actions themselves are a simple case of cause and effect; there's no benevolent intent behind them, it's just the way things work.

 

Perhaps at a subconscious level we set ourselves up to believe in fate, only ever focusing on serendipitous occurrences as opposed to all the instances that weren't. For instance if you had mounting debts and then won the lottery a lot of people might chalk that up to fate, or God, or karma or whatever. If you didn't win the lottery you'd think nothing of it.

[Ashley]

It don't think everyething happens for a reason, whats the reason for an Earthquake in Kent? How will that help anyone...

 

Who says events have to be beneficial? We are shaped by our experiences. While I do not want anyone to express loss and pain (can't stress that enough as lately people seem to not be able to understand me) it is these events that make us who we are.

[Jon]

If things are going very well, i agree with what you're saying. However when things are going tits up, what you said is complete bullshit.

[Rummy]

I like this, I like it for a number of reasons.

I'm a bit of a believer in half arsed(and I do believe wrong) 'karma' theory, and that bad things happen to bad people and vice versa, but I think it's just to help me through life when shit comes up, and helps me to be grateful for the good things. Basically the kind featured in My Name is Earl.

I also believe it's a good saying because it helps people to not dwell on the matter, people like to dwell on things that happen and wonder why and wish they could go back and change it when they simply can't, and it helps them to get over that fact.

Third, I think you can look at it in a sort of after effect way, something bad happens and 'Everything happens for a reason' you later find something positive that happens that wouldn't have happened had the bad not preceeded. Like finding the silver lining in the cloud basically. Well, I guess that's more along the lines of the original intent actually.

 

As for fate and destiny, I'm not sure if I believe in it. I'm in two minds, sometimes I think it does exist to an extent, sometimes I think we make our own.

[MoogleViper]

Some of you, (especially reading Ashley's first post) seem to be getting confused with "everything happens for a reason" and "I'm where I am now because of what happened before. I think most people will agree that the latter statemen is true. But that doesn't mean that it has happened for a reason.

[Mokong]

For something to happen there must be a cause, and that cause is a reason.

 

You can look at it in many ways, from god, to fate, to a persons own will and desire to make something happen. It comes down to each persons perception.

 

As for "bad things" on large scale, like the recent event in Kent. To apply the term to it is more to say how the people effected by it are changed by it, how will they shape their lives from that experience and if because of that they move forward to do something good or great with their lives, then that is a reason in itself

[Ashley]

Some of you, (especially reading Ashley's first post) seem to be getting confused with "everything happens for a reason" and "I'm where I am now because of what happened before. I think most people will agree that the latter statemen is true. But that doesn't mean that it has happened for a reason.

 

Care to elaborate and differentiate on the two statements?

[MoogleViper]

For something to happen there must be a cause, and that cause is a reason.

 

You can look at it in many ways, from god, to fate, to a persons own will and desire to make something happen. It comes down to each persons perception.

 

As for "bad things" on large scale, like the recent event in Kent. To apply the term to it is more to say how the people effected by it are changed by it, how will they shape their lives from that experience and if because of that they move forward to do something good or great with their lives, then that is a reason in itself

 

I think this is pretty much it. It doesn't matter whether there is a correct answer or what that answer is. It's how you percieve it that is the answer.

[ZeldaFreak]

I pesonally think things happen for a reason, e.g. if you walk the same route home everyday and then have a feeling you should go another way and find a 1p coin on the footpath.

 

Is it fate that you knew you should go the new route or is it coincidence based on millions of percentages about your lifestyle and choices you have made previously thats creates the outcome?

 

There is always someone who'll say its fate and others will not. Like is their a god or not. I choose to believe what I want about everything and anything - just to make me secure in this world of vunerablitity of humans

[MoogleViper]

;430469"]Care to elaborate and differentiate on the two statements?

 

Well I suppose there is a fine line between them both. And depending on your definition of "meaning" you may feel that there is no difference between them. But to me "I'm where I am because of what happened in the past" is true and just means that previous decisions and happenings have lead you to where you are. Now the other statement, I think that it means that everything has happened for a reason and it has been predetermined (fate) and eliminates coincidence. Now the two statements an coincide but I feel that there is a difference.

 

I hope that you understood that. I know it was a little confusing. But it was a little confusing in my head. One thing I do think is that it depends on your perception of the two statements. Heck life is just what you make of it.

[The Bard]

"A Reason," now ask yourself, what exactly that means, there is of course a reason for everything, but if you're saying that reason is something like "gods grand design" then, I call bullshit on that one. Mainly because god doesn't exist, but also because if it was, then we'd all just be puppets in a show. I think it's just illogical crap to say that a billion people a day are starving for a good reason, that people get molested, beaten, abused and killed every day, for a reason. I just don't buy it.

[Shino]

I don't think things happen for a certain reason, but that we look back on them and then just give them a reason. Simply because that's human nature I think; we like to be able to understand what's happening around us.

 

Well, thank you for saying EXACTLY (and I mean absolutely exactly) what I was thinking, now I have nothing to post. But that never stopped me before did it.

[Rummy]

;430469"]Care to elaborate and differentiate on the two statements?

 

I think the difference is very fine, but in the original sense of the phrase, it is saying something is happening for a reason. The bad event(assuming it's bad) happens because of some reason or another.

However, later finding good fortune out of the bad event and then saying that the good event was the reason for the bad event is a bit...erm, I dunno the word I'm thinking of(counterintuitive? backwards?). It's like explaining a cause with an effect, and not an effect with a cause. The good thing happens for a reason, the reason being the bad event that happened before. Not the other way round?

[jayseven]

"Do not mistake fate for coincidence" said Mistah Eko.

 

I like to think of coincidence as finding someone else who has teh same jigsaw piece as you, where fate is finding someone who has a piece that fits.

 

But I think that generally the modern world is unwilling to believe that 'fate' is an acceptable explanation for anything good or bad. People want REASON and FACTS rather than happy-go-lucky FAITH. I have faith that it was fate and not coincidence that brought me and Shorty to the same university, to the same accomodation (.. ok so we kinda made it happen ourselves, but there really is more to it than that).

 

As for Eenuh's explanation... well the thing is, if it is Fate that made something happen, then you won't be able to tell until afterwards anyway (in general :P), so I don't think that's a suitable explanation all the time.

[Konfucius]

I actually think there's a reason in everything. I neither believe in fate nor luck but that everything is somehow determined by God - I still believe in free choice though and that the future isn't set but I'm not going to elaborate on that.

 

What I'd like to get to is that although the reason often isn't obvious it's still there.

Over five years ago my grandfather died but I never questioned why he died. That was just part of life. But now I know that I wouldn't be the person I am today if he was still alive.

I learned to take responsibility and take care of other people, many my grandmother which made me a better person and I think that's only one of the reasons for his death.

 

Sure it's hard to understand why people have to suffer in developing countries or why there are natural disasters but I also think there's a reason for that although it's not clear to me.

 

One thing about choices: I think that whenever you have to make a choice there's a right one and a wrong one even if right and wrong can't be determined. The right one leads to the life you want to have and the other one not and life is full of such choices. What is the right and wrong path is the tricky part to figure out though.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I agree with what Eenuh said, we don't think they happen for a reason at the time, but when we look back we think "ahhh."

 

For example:

 

Was meant to be going out with some friends last Saturday. That collapsed.

So, another friend invited me out. I thought hmm, maybe I should just go, so I did. There, I met somebody for the first time and we had a first date on Tuesday.

 

Now, that wouldn't have happened if my original plans hadn't have fallen to pieces.

 

Tonight, I was feeling a bit meh, so I changed my facebook status to "is bored shitless." A friend noticed this, and said she was bored too, and so we ended up having a night out with just the four of us (two of which I have never met before, and hopefully they'll be good mates in the future.)

Actually turned out rather fun, have just got in now.

 

So, if I didn't change my status, if I was in some other mood, I don't think I would have gone out tonight. It's quite weird how things work like that.

[weeyellowbloke]

I think Eenuh and Aimless have hit the nail on the head with my thinkings on this matter. It's all just cause and effect, things happen which leads on to other things with no rhyme nor reason. There isn't any grand plan or big man behind the scenes pulling the strings, the human brain is just wired to look for such things. It finds it as well, if you look hard enough at any random series of events it's easy to draw out some hidden meaning, just look at conspiracy theories.

[Jasper]

Everything has a reason. Everybody has a purpose in life and eventually if everyone has fulfilled this purpose we can slowly evolve again. Everything has a reason for happening, even though we don't always want to see it (why do people die?). I am a strong believer of this because I have faith in everything around me. Don't get me wrong - a God does not exist in my dictionairy, but faith does. I believe that what must happen happens and what shouldn't doesn't.

 

Here's something to think about: it's 8:33 AM and you're deciding to take the bus, car or walk. You decide either of three and at 8:34 you look back at your so-called choice. Do you have a choice? Were any of the other possibilities ever there? You can't go back and take another choice (no, because the time would be different, making it a different choice) - so actually, there alway was one option.

[Rummy]

I dunno about that explanation. It's an interesting topic, I touched upon it a bit when I was doing my study into luck for my project this year. Apparently luckier people see the good in the bad, whereas unlucky people don't, even if it's the exact same turn of events.

 

(i see somebody swiftly dealt justice to hobbizinio's post)