Does Everything Happens For a Reason Or Is It The Meaning We Attach To It?
Some Things Are Best Left Unexplained
“Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” — Elizabeth Kubler Ross
A mantra often repeated nowadays when life goes south is that everything happens for a reason.
Such a phrase has become a rite of passage when life hands us lemons. If there is a reason for all that transpires in our life, what sense can we make of the universe we live in?
The universe is filled with infinite possibilities, simultaneously existing outside the realm of human awareness.
The proverb: “I’ll believe it when I see it” has become a popular lexicon in popular culture. Mainstream science has taken it a step further suggesting if it can’t be measured or quantified, it lacks scientific merit.
A good deal of what unfolds in life is beyond the realm of human intelligence. I contend, some things are best left unexplained, save adding meaning to that which is beyond explanation.
Oftentimes we are not privy to an outcome until further down the road, once the pieces of the puzzle have come together.
Paulo Coelho echoes this sentiment in his book Manuscript Found in Accra: “Someday everything will make perfect sense. So, for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.”
Suspend Judgement
“Eventually all things fall into place. Until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.” — Albert Schweitzer
Our task however, is to remain hopeful when outward appearances dictate otherwise.
This beckons the question: How do you maintain optimism when debt collectors are hounding you for money?
Or when your partner of sixteen years decides they are no longer in love with you?
Or when a friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness?
In these instances, it may be prudent to withhold judgement for fear of catastrophizing a situation which time is able to heal.
Don’t allow a temporary setback to become a defeat, since there may be a greater plan taking place behind the scenes.
You may not experience the bigger picture unfolding at the time. By mentally stepping back from the drama, you allow the perfect orchestration of events to unfold in due course.
Your task is that of co-creator, acting in harmony with universal intelligence.
The frailty of the human condition is that we all experience suffering and loss at some point in our lives. My father passed away from a life threatening disease many years ago and I endured my own health crisis not long after.
The wisdom I gained from these experiences is that pain and suffering are unavoidable — however remaining a victim is a choice.
In his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Japanese author Haruki Murakami reminds us of that understanding: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
In order to understand life, we must LIVE IT instead of trying to intellectualise it. Any meaning we attach to an event or situation is based on our perception alone.
So give yourself permission for life to flow through you. The American Buddhist psychologist Tara Brach suggests embracing suffering with the silent inner mantra: “I consent.”
This powerful mantra is an inner acceptance that everything that has happened and will happen is part of life’s perfection flowing through us. Our task is to remain open and receptive to the energy to permeate through us, without judgement.
Therefore, remain in a state of grace and reverence, irrespective of whether the circumstances are undesirable.
Life does not seek your permission, it knows how to evolve without your consent. So, get out of your own way and allow life to reveal herself with ease and perfection.
Paradox, Contradiction and Ambiguity
“The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we’re not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence.”— Paul Auster
Many times it is our conditioned minds that prevent us realising the gifts and perfection of each moment. Life is mysterious with its own organising system.
It is our need to assign meaning to life’s mysteries that cause despair, since we seek to define that which is indefinable.
Deepak Chopra reminds us of this truth: “Be comfortable with and embrace paradox, contradiction, and ambiguity. It is the womb of creativity.”
The universe functions within these three components. Therefore, nothing is fixed — life is open to change and impermanence.
If you seek peace of mind, let go of the need to explain life. Moreover, remain open to mystery and the aspects of: paradox, contradiction, and ambiguity.
Allow space for the unexpected and non-linear to manifest.
Those who are acquainted with synchronicity, marvel in the joy and surprise it brings when a dear friend whom they haven’t thought of in years suddenly crosses their path. To rationalise it would remove the mystery and spontaneity out of life.
In summation, if everything happens for a reason, learn to suspend your judgement until a complete picture of events has unfolded.
Avoid your assessment of a situation and trust there is more than meets the eye behind the scenes.
Secondly, let go of the need to give meaning to situations by allowing room for the unexpected. Trust the universe functions on a timeline not of your own accord.
Often, the sequences of events develop when you least expect it and may not appear in the form you had initially anticipated.
Simply TRUST there is a greater plan taking shape in your life.
