It’s the age old question - does everything happen for a reason?  One can go through life believing that, in fact, everything does happen for a reason, and try to learn and grow from every situation.  On the other hand, one can choose to believe that there is no logical reason for everything that happens and dismiss things to happenstance, which could essentially cause them to miss out on important lessons for future seasons of their lives.  The saying, “It’s all how you look at it “rings true” in the debate of whether or not things happen for a reason.  This paper argues that there is a reason for everything that happens, even the difficult things.  People who embrace this belief can come out of both good and bad situations with growing experiences, even if it takes some time to understand or come to grips with the reason.  

Growing up in the Bible Belt in the south, I am that guy that every time the church doors are open, I am there to participate in whatever is going on. I have always been taught that God is all-wise and all-knowing and he can initiate or prevent things that happen to us. I was taught to believe that God does not waste our hurts or erase our mistakes, but there is a reason for everything that happens. The majority of the time, the reason is a lesson to be learned to help us or even others.  Perhaps things happen to show us whom we can or cannot trust.  Some things may happen to reveal to us what we do or do not want in our lives. Things can happen as the result of something we have done, be it positive or negative.  The reason can be very simple or complex, but things just do not happen without a cause or reason. Many times people struggle to understand the purpose of bad things that happen, causing them to think that there could be no logic or reason for these types of circumstances.  This thinking causes them to miss, or not be able to see the reason, but there is always a reason if you look closely.  Sometimes things that happen are merely consequences for our actions or the actions of others, be it good or bad, but that in itself, is a reason. The reason for some things that happen is to show us that we are not in control of everything in our lives, even though that is our perception at times.  This reason causes us to be dependent on God, which goes back to my religious beliefs that God wants us to rely on him for all things.  A statement from Gail Goodwin makes a lot of sense and is worth considering. She said, “Where does this belief come from? One theory is that it reflects religious teachings — we think that events have meaning because we believe in a God.” (Goodwin) When someone believes in God, acceptance of his reasoning makes situations easier to handle.    

A lot of people say they are sick of hearing the statement that everything happens for a reason. To be honest, people throw the statement around when they do not know what else to say to someone and I think this should be avoided because it becomes so cliché and people don’t want to hear it, must less, believe it or look for the reason for something happening.   In life, there are good and bad things that happen to everyone, but certain situations can help you out in the long run. A situation that people would find the concept difficult to believe would be natural disasters. People who do not believe in the statement of everything happening for a reason would say, “If everything happened for a reason, why would millions of people die in natural disasters? Why are innocent peoples’ lives taken?” My response to this would be that things like that happen just a result of being a citizen of this planet. Earthquakes, tornados, and tsunamis happen by nature. The perspective I am making my argument about is much different than that. Situations, difficulties, or times or prosperity in life can make people see life more positively, and can enhance their mental strength. I would call these situations meaningful learning experiences and not just coincidence.  Looking for the reasoning of each life experience will make you a stronger person and prepare you for another battle you may face later in life. I also believe that the reasoning behind some events is so you can meet people you are destined to be with.  For example, in the 2013 Boston Bombing, a man named James Costello was a part of the tragedy that day. Costello did not understand why this terrible event had to transpire, but it was during his rehabilitation that he began to understand why all of this happened to him. He is a strong believer of everything happening for a reason he wrote, “I now realize why I was involved in the tragedy. It was to meet my best friend, and the love of my life.” (Goodwin) This terrible situation that James Costello went through ultimately led him to meet his wife, who was a nurse that helped him in his recovery process.   

In the book, “There Are No Accidents: Synchronicity and the Stories of Our Lives”, by Robert H. Hopcke, the story originated from a rare dream that Hopcke had. Hopcke said he is a writer, reader, and a therapist and that his life is, “full of stories” because of the jobs that he’s had. One of his biggest accomplishments is the experience he has gained from each job. Hopcke states that, “Everyone’s life is based on story-telling” (Hopcke). Hopcke refers to a respected Swiss psychologist, C.G. Jung, often in the book, and introduces a meaningful coincidence theory called “synchronicity.”  This theory supports meaningful coincidences that happen in life and challenges people to look for the significance of situations to make for themselves a better life.  

In the article, “Everything Happens for a Reason,” by Zack Hunt, he understands what it is like to believe in both sides of the argument. Earlier on in life, Hunt did not believe in the statement that everything happening for a reason. He thought that things happened because they just happened, and there was no real reason why these things happened. Zack Hunt had a change of mind as he matured he started thinking about it more. Now he believes that everything happens for a reason, but does not believe that God designed these situations to take place; which is an interesting outlook on the question. He stated that, “If that was true then the God we believe would be evil.” (Hunt) Both people who believe in God, along with people who deny God’s existence should relate to this or agree, to some extent. Hunts gives some great examples that supports the belief and make it more comprehensible.  Hunt gives a positive and negative example, also throwing in an example of a tragedy. Mr. Hunt says, “When you got that new job you were hoping for, that happened for a reason — you applied for it, you interviewed well, and the company thought you were the best candidate for the job.” (Hunt) His idea of things happening for a reason in a negative situation was, “When you failed that test you needed to pass in order to maintain your G.P.A. and keep your scholarship, that too happened for a reason — you spent too much time on Facebook, going out with friends and catching up on your favorite shows when you should have been studying.” An example for people that think that everything does not happen for a reason because of tragedy would be, “And when that young mother and her child were hit by a drunk driver and died tragically in a car accident, that also happened for a reason — someone had too much to drink, and without concern for anyone else’s wellbeing, they got behind the wheel of their car, wherein their impaired judgment and slowed response time resulted in them running a red light and taking the life of a mother and her child.” (Hunt) Even though tragic events happen, there is always a cause for the event that takes place and a reason behind that cause. I think Zack Hunt did a commendable job helping his readers understand that everything happens for a reason by using real life situations that the reader can relate to in order to encourage them to believe that events that take place in our life do have a purpose and reason. 

Examples from my personal life that helped convince me that everything happens for a reason would be coming to college here at USC. I am a baseball player, and my during my senior year of high school I suffered a shoulder injury that required major surgery.   At the time of my surgery I was in a very bad situation and I knew it. I would stay up at night questioning my future wondering if I was going to be able to come to South Carolina to play baseball. Most of my life everything went along smoothly. I always made good grades, excelled in sports, and had a great home life. I worked hard so I could get recruited by a Division I college, and I committed to the University of South Carolina my junior year. So, having this injury and surgery put a major obstacle in my path that I was in no way expecting. After surgery, I had to work extremely hard to build my strength back and be able to use my pitching arm again.  I feel that the reason for my injury and surgery was to teach me patience, and also to let me see firsthand that everything in life does not come easily. I had never had to work that hard in my life! Some days I could not do anything but watch baseball, and that’s where the patience came in. However, now I know what it is like to have to work hard for something and I have learned from experience that everything does not come easily. I also met some incredible athletes who gave me encouragement and great advice during my rehab.  I was able to train with some of the best trainers in the country as a result of my surgery, which has given me many awesome connections for my future in the field of sports and job opportunities. This down time gave me a lot of time to reflect and think about my goals.  The time I have not been able to play has only fueled the passion I already had for baseball.  Without this setback I would’ve missed many valuable lessons.   

A more difficult example would be how my little brother, Luke, knew a kid name Jimmy but they were not close friends. Jimmy’s mother, Stacey, moved Jimmy to Luke’s school and they became best friends because they were in the same class. We ended up moving on the same street that Jimmy lived on in town. We did not purposely move to their neighborhood, but just it was just something that happened, and these little guys thought it was the coolest thing.  A few months later, Jimmy’s mom, Stacey, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she died within six months. Right before her death, she thanked my mom for loving Jimmy and told her that God had a plan and a reason all along for everything so Jimmy and Luke could become close friends. Everything fell perfectly into place and happened for the reason to get us right where we needed to be to help this ten year old boy deal with losing his mom. It was definitely not a coincidence that these sequences of events led us to the right place at the right time. God has a way of setting things in motion ahead of time, and if we are willing to follow him, we will see the reasons for many things in life.  

In heartbreaking situations, sometimes the only logical reason we can see is that things happen to teach us how to deal with pain. My grandmother lost her fifteen year old daughter in a tragic car accident on what seemed to be a normal Sunday afternoon. My Aunt Angie left with her boyfriend to go visit his relatives, and little did they know she would never return home. The car ran head on into another car on a long, narrow road and Angie was ejected from the car and killed instantly. My Grandparents were very good people, and the accident seemed like such a senseless thing for them to have to endure.  There are still days when my grandmother questions why she had to lose her teenage daughter, but she will be the first to tell you that you do not know what you can handle until you have to do it. My grandparents learned from being forced into this horrific situation how to deal with pain that does not go away. That is the only explanation for somethings that happen, just to teach us lessons. As a result of her death, many adults and teenagers saw how my grandparents’ strong faith helped them through this painful time and they were saved because of their testimonies. My grandmother says that if all of those people came to know Christ because of one person’s death, it makes it worth having to live through the pain because all of those people will now be in Heaven - even though it took the painfully tragic event of losing her daughter/   

To get some more insight from other sources I decided to interview one of my classmates, Joey Polak, to talk about experiences in his life that dealt with my research question. I started the conversation by asking Joey if he believed everything happened for a reason, and he said, “Yes I do believe everything happens for a reason.” Then I went on to ask, why he believed this, which made him take a supportive stance on my topic. Joey said, “When I moved from Florida to the Midwest when I was twelve years old, it was a big deal. Not only was it tough to cope with as a young kid, but it was a big lifestyle change as well. We moved for family and personal reasons, but it was a move we really did not want to make. I was nervous about making the change to a new school and was wondering what baseball team I would play for and how I would make new friends. My mom would always tell me that everything would be fine and to take it day by day and something good would come out of our move. When I lived in Florida, I was a good ball player, but moving to the North West gave me better connections with the game of baseball at just the perfect time. I became friends with the owners of one of the top organizations in the game of baseball, Perfect Game. This gave me connections when it came to recruiting and enabled me to go to any school of my choice, and I knew I wanted to come back to the South. Without the move, I knew that I would not have been able to have those opportunities in my life. I knew then that the move was for a reason to better me as a person and ball player.” 

Considering the subject matter, does everything happen for a reason, and do life events have a greater purpose and meaning, can be a challenging mental approach at times. Many people would argue that loss only hurts people, but it’s all about your perspective and whether or not you see the glass half full or half empty.  Accepting this belief will change the way you view hardships in life. Difficult times can help you meet people you are destined to be with. The theory of synchronization demonstrates how things in our lives are orchestrated to create significant and meaningful lessons and skills. Life experiences from family and friends help us realize that things really do happen for a reason. The words of singer/songwriter, John Mayer, made it very clear and pretty much summed it up when he said, “Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So, for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” 
