Why Do Things Happen?

Why Do Things Happen?

The news is full of tragedy and horror.  People are abused by man and nature.  We hear of explosions, animal attacks, car accidents and buildings collapse.  Cancer, diabetes and heart attacks kill us on a daily basis.  Babies die.  Lives are changed forever and we wonder why.

Not so much in the news is the other end of the scale.  Lotteries are won, people escape accidents that completely destroy a car with barely a scratch and one hundred ten story buildings collapse but spare a few people in a stair well.  Marriages happen and babies are born and we rejoice.  Some of us live well past ninety years.  And, we wonder why.

There are those of us who chose to believe something or someone higher than humanity is in charge.  They pray to a god with the hopes that their supplication will not fall on deaf ears.  They gather in groups large and small to celebrate the remote possibility that they will find a better life after this one is over.

It’s their god’s will that a whole town is destroyed by a tornado and it’s a miracle that the same storm spared a two year old but left him an orphan.  A miracle?

On the other hand, it’s luck when someone wins a large sum of money or narrowly escapes being hit by a runaway truck.  Sometimes I think God’s nickname is luck.

The bottom line is that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.  This is because chaos rules the universe.  Chaos is fair and doesn’t pick sides (thanks to @iraqvet1980 for permission to use his tweet).

It’s called chaos, fate, random chance and many others but it’s definitely not a god’s action.  There is no way to reason why or intent; it just is. 

Maybe the religious among us need to believe in a higher power to maintain their sanity.  Maybe they need to be close to others who believe the same to gather strength from them in times of need.  It’s sometimes called looking at the world through ‘rose colored glasses’.

Atheists look at it from a completely different viewpoint.  We know that strange things happen that are out of our control.  We take actions to prevent the bad things from happening whenever possible.  And, yes, we look out for our neighbors by trying to keep them safe, too.

Chaos is a subtle creature.  Its stealth is what surprises us.  It sneaks up on us when we blink or when we’re careless.  Chaos is generous, too.  It can reward us with joy, happiness and material things.  There is no reasoning why and there is never a reason given.

Whatever happens to you, remember this:  Life is life, live it as if every day is your last.

Walk the Path in Grace