Let’s just say that things happen, that sometimes events randomly fall together to create the perfect circumstances for certain things to occur. Let’s say that’s it. Things fall into place and things happen, without the hand of Fate or “the Universe.” This is, indeed, the view of many skeptics and self-proclaimed smart people. If that is the case, then we’re really just living to die, no? Shit just happens, and either it’s good or bad, but it’s never important. Moments aren’t special, so there’s no reason for sentiment and reminiscing. There’s no point to romance.
I’ve seen two reactions from those following this school of thought. Some people embrace it and adopt a devil-may-care attitude. They live life fast and hard. They live for the sake of experience. They live dangerously, trying anything new, ignoring the consequences. They could die young, so they live every moment doing whatever they please. Then, there are others who take this thought and find fear and misery in it. If there is no meaning, if their lives are just a series of random events, what is the point of living? These forlorn people often feel their lives are tragic, and tend to share their tragedy with others, leading to dysfunctional, often co-dependent, relationships.
It’s all very nihilistic, isn’t it? On the other end of the spectrum are those who believe that Fate rules the world. To these hopeful beings, every single event has a meaning, everything happens for a reason. They are always where they’re “meant to be.” There is some power in the universe that is watching over them, and even the smallest occurrences are meant for them. A leaf falling at just the right moment is some message for them to interpret, or there’s a raging storm because they’re having a bad day. Essentially, they believe the world revolves around them. Truly, their own world does.
Then, of course, there are those of us who are the most idealistic. We see the world as a gray area. Some things just happen because they do. Some things are destined. Not everything happens for a reason, but nothing is pointless. Life, ultimately, has a meaning amidst all the mundanity. We’ve seen the magic that can occur; we’ve seen what can happen when certain random circumstances come together and create the perfect setting for creating change.
The task, then, is to learn to discern the difference; and when you find the things that are significant, when you do receive messages from the Universe (or the Fates, God/dess, Spirit, the Higher Power, or what-have-you), you must determine what they mean. Perhaps it is just that I like puzzles, that I feel this is the most accurate idea of why things happen. Who really knows why some people fall into jobs they’d never imagined and end up finding their calling? Who knows what determines whether or not one person survives an accident? Is it luck? Or is it Fate that brings a person into another person’s life? A person that makes the other feel joyous and free? Or a person that leaves pain and destruction behind?
We search for lessons and often find them too late. It isn’t easy figuring out what is mundane and what is a whisper from the gods. I am happy that my mind works the way it does, but even that is a mystery to me. The life I lived as a child, the environment that raised me, could have a different influence. Instead of following in the footsteps of generations before me, I chose to take a new path. Though, I’m not entirely convinced it was a choice. I believe that, when it comes to destiny, mine is one of greatness. I do, however, have to make the choices that take me there; nothing is set in stone. I believe life will bring to me all I need, but it is up to me to make it mine, to keep it.
Some things are truly supposed to be in our lives, but we must work to prove we deserve them. Not everything that’s meant to be is easy. Not everything that’s difficult is a random occurrence or a “lesson learned.” Perhaps sometimes, the lesson is, “Don’t give up.” In that same vein, not everything that’s pleasant is fate. Sometimes, we’re just lucky; it’s just good timing. So, how do we figure it out? What do we do with the information once we’ve done that? How do we know which actions are “right”? I can’t answer that.
I am working to figure it out in my own life. There are things I see as signs, and but I am ever skeptical. Everything is a sign and nothing is. I am attempting to look at unique occurrences from as many angles as I can conceive. Of course, it makes me seem a bit…insane, but I’m not sure that matters. I am analyzing life constantly, and I can’t seem to let go of certain concepts, certain “signs.” I don’t know what’s happening yet, or why, but I know something in my life is changing. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go. All I can do is make the choices that I believe will bring me the most joy and fulfillment. I hope luck is on my side.