"Everything happens for a reason."
You hear that all the time, don't you? I certainly have friends who say it. Every time someone's gerbil dies or someone misses getting crowned Miss Cumquat or whatever, people get all philosophical on you and tell you that "everything happens for a reason".
Well I'd like to extend that thinking a bit. Suppose everything DOES happen for a reason. That would mean that there is a supreme being that controls EVERYTHING according this his or her plan, right? I guess that's obvious. And it's also obvious, then, that everything that happens is pre-ordained. That means the black plague, the holocaust, Cagney and Lacey, The Captain and Tennille, famines, floods, typhoons, Ronald Reagan, the Ice Capades, the Great Depression, genocides, the Spanish Inquisition and Jim Carrey are all part of this plan. The Supreme Being (let's call him/her God, shall we?) WANTED all of this to happen. And made it happen. No free will. If everything happens for a reason then nothing can be left to chance. I'm not sure how that's a comforting thought. Faced with a little adversity, people love to tell you that your suffering is not in vain, that it's part of a master plan and good will eventually come of it. Well I think that the idea of living in a universe where Starbucks and Wal-Mart and Paris Hilton are all part of some divine plan is far more terrifying than a random universe.
It's easy for us-living in relative privledge and wealth- to say that everything happens for a reason. Cause for most of us things do work out ok. Try telling a starving kid in Africa that everything happens for a reason. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to know about that. Tell that to someone in Iraq. I'm sure an American Indian would love to hear about the Divine Plan that included the genocide of their people.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer. I am. Just not in crutches.
You hear that all the time, don't you? I certainly have friends who say it. Every time someone's gerbil dies or someone misses getting crowned Miss Cumquat or whatever, people get all philosophical on you and tell you that "everything happens for a reason".
Well I'd like to extend that thinking a bit. Suppose everything DOES happen for a reason. That would mean that there is a supreme being that controls EVERYTHING according this his or her plan, right? I guess that's obvious. And it's also obvious, then, that everything that happens is pre-ordained. That means the black plague, the holocaust, Cagney and Lacey, The Captain and Tennille, famines, floods, typhoons, Ronald Reagan, the Ice Capades, the Great Depression, genocides, the Spanish Inquisition and Jim Carrey are all part of this plan. The Supreme Being (let's call him/her God, shall we?) WANTED all of this to happen. And made it happen. No free will. If everything happens for a reason then nothing can be left to chance. I'm not sure how that's a comforting thought. Faced with a little adversity, people love to tell you that your suffering is not in vain, that it's part of a master plan and good will eventually come of it. Well I think that the idea of living in a universe where Starbucks and Wal-Mart and Paris Hilton are all part of some divine plan is far more terrifying than a random universe.
It's easy for us-living in relative privledge and wealth- to say that everything happens for a reason. Cause for most of us things do work out ok. Try telling a starving kid in Africa that everything happens for a reason. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to know about that. Tell that to someone in Iraq. I'm sure an American Indian would love to hear about the Divine Plan that included the genocide of their people.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer. I am. Just not in crutches.
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severus:
sooo i called you and no one picked up and then you went offline. boo.
severus:
I know, it's so handy for when you need some!