I'm writing this entry as a response to a post from my good friend Jefferson who comments on the age old cliche "everything happens for a reason..."

I'm always skeptical about cliches. They are helpful to the optimist, but don't provide the same comfort to the realist. I agree, it's a good way of thinking for those who wish to remain hopeful: it's not the end of the world, your situation will turn around someday, have faith and trust in the universe, etc. etc. I can identify with this way of thinking when shit hits the fan and everything doesn't go as expected.

But to what end? Notice the "reason" that the thing "happened" only becomes clear in retrospect. It makes sense only when you think about it among other things that have happened in the past. Let's assume everything does happen for a reason. So what? Does it matter what the reason is? When things happen for a reason, that reason stays within the realm of thought and doesn't provide much room for action. It doesn't give the person enough inspiration to DO SOMETHING with that "thing" that happened. It's not really enough to know that things happen for a reason. It's not enough to be hopeful. Hope only gets you so far. But what are you going to DO with the reason why you think it happened?

Things happen, and they will continue to happen - that is just the way the world works. You assign value to the things that happen. The way I like to think about this saying "everything happens for a reason" gives agency back to the person that the "thing" happened to. Everything happens for an opportunity for something else to happen, opportunity being the operative word. Phrased this way, I think it satisfies the concerns of both optimists and realists - there's still a reason to hope for the future while also giving the person the ability/responsibility to create "things" to happen in the future. You are in control of your own destiny! (A cliche to make sense of another cliche!)

This was a really lengthy and pointless philosophical discussion to make my point that being an optimist means nothing if you aren't also an opportunist.

And now back to studying. Thanks for the study break Jefferson!