"Everything Happens for a Reason"

[blackraven]

I've always hated the saying "Everything Happens for a Reason". If you think about it, a lot of really bad stuff in life happens to really good, innocent people that are just trying to live decent lives. What about being born with serious birth defects and spending your life in a wheel chair, what's the reason for that? An innocent woman was walking down the street and someone ran up to her and threw acid in her face, melting her entire face making her unrecognizable. Did that happen for a reason?

What are your thoughts on this?

Blackraven

[Chrysaetos]

I have no spiritual explanation for it.

And to give an definite explanation would be quite arrogant imo, who are we to tell that the disabled, the incurable, and the poor have been baddies in a past life?
It's all speculation and man's endless quest for ''meaning''.. All explanations are cultural phenomena.

[Roselove]

IMO some things happen for reasons, not very good or fair ones though, but reasons nonetheless. I don't think there is any justification for suffering of innocent human beings.

Originally Posted by blackraven

I've always hated the saying "Everything Happens for a Reason". If you think about it, a lot of really bad stuff in life happens to really good, innocent people that are just trying to live decent lives. What about being born with serious birth defects and spending your life in a wheel chair, what's the reason for that? An innocent woman was walking down the street and someone ran up to her and threw acid in her face, melting her entire face making her unrecognizable. Did that happen for a reason?

What are your thoughts on this?

Blackraven

I think that maybe this statement in a way is an attempt to understand why things such as these happen. By this, meaning the things that happen in life good or bad usually end up teaching us something. In that we can learn from almost any situation. It doesn't mean people justify the bad by making this statement they just attempt to learns from it.

nightowl

[Emmalevine]

I believe that SOME things happen as they are meant, perhaps to fulfil an individual's purpose or otherwise part of the Divine order. Examples of synchroncity may be evidence for this. But I don't believe that's the case for everything, I truly don't. I think things happen because people have free will and make choices, and the meaning given to it comes from us.

It is one of those expressions that is helpful only when a person can say it to themselves...it rarely shows compassion for another. Whether its true or not isn't a question that can be answered. But when an individual can accept the situation they have and look for the potential in it...it makes a difficult situation worthwhile.

My opinion is, that words are wise according to their fitting with the context in which they were said. But in a world where books are cheap....people learn the words long before they have the wisdom to use them in the correct context.

[blackraven]

Thank you all for your input. I actually didn't mean to imply that tragedy should happen to "bad" people either as I feel that human suffering is senseless all the way around. I'm just trying to come to terms with suffering in general and used a few examples that came to mind.

I like what you said, xxheatherxx, about words being wise according to their fitting with the context in which they were said. I took no offense when you said people learn the words long before they have the wisdom to use them in the correct context. I trust you weren't trying to be insulting to my ability to decipher cliches from reality. I've been through too much misery in my own life to poke at sayings for the fun of it. I didn't think that anything would be solved via the forum, but like I said, I was pondering the whole issue of human suffering today and thought I'd throw it out there for others to comment on. In the end I suppose I knew all along that this age old question (Why is there human suffering?) couldn't be answered. Thanks again for everyone's comments. :)

Blackraven

Originally Posted by blackraven

I've always hated the saying "Everything Happens for a Reason". If you think about it, a lot of really bad stuff in life happens to really good, innocent people that are just trying to live decent lives. What about being born with serious birth defects and spending your life in a wheel chair, what's the reason for that? An innocent woman was walking down the street and someone ran up to her and threw acid in her face, melting her entire face making her unrecognizable. Did that happen for a reason?

What are your thoughts on this?

Blackraven

No one is innocent. Innocent is a term that we use mostly because of our immature knowledge and understanding of crime and righteousness. The reason that why certains things happen to certain people is beyond me, as it is something that I'm looking for answers myself in my whole life.

Anyhow threwing acid is indeed an ugly scene to witness.

[Lovely]

I don't think we'll ever really know.
So many horrible things happen that
make me sad. I don't have an explanation
for it.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by blackraven

I've always hated the saying "Everything Happens for a Reason". If you think about it, a lot of really bad stuff in life happens to really good, innocent people that are just trying to live decent lives. What about being born with serious birth defects and spending your life in a wheel chair, what's the reason for that? An innocent woman was walking down the street and someone ran up to her and threw acid in her face, melting her entire face making her unrecognizable. Did that happen for a reason?

What are your thoughts on this?

Blackraven

I don't see how unreasonable things can happen for a reason.