I’m sure everyone has heard the phrase “everything happens for a reason” about a million times before. Adults are always saying that everything will work out and even the most unfortunate events have some deeper meaning. Many of us have even been told that there is some greater plan out there for each of us and we simply cannot see yet what it is. Considering they have been around longer than my 19 years, who am I to say that they’re wrong?
Sometimes that is easier to believe than the alternative. A good example of this came during my organic chemistry exam that I wasn’t quite prepared for when everyone in the class was evacuated halfway through due to flooding on campus. It did give me an extra weekend to study though – true story. Although, there are also times when it seems that the universe is out to get you and there is absolutely no plan in store; like when you’re a senior in high school and your healthy mom suddenly gets diagnosed with cancer – another true story.
I have always struggled with this idea of some higher being controlling my destiny and leading me through life due to the confusing concoction of events that I’ve experienced. That’s possibly because I would have to admit that there is some sort of higher power that has control over my life and in doing so, give away part of my autonomy and free will.
But what if there is someone or something that is in control of our destinies?
That seemingly simple, yet extremely complex, question has been the bane of my existence for quite some time now, and I find myself frequently engaged in a battle of wits attempting to decipher an answer.
Between my hours of preoccupation and bouts of grappling with this insubstantial concept, I believe I have found another answer to this riddle: it doesn’t matter.
The truth of the matter is that it is not the destination that we reach that is important, but rather the journey that we take along the way and the experiences we have that make us who we are. While I admit it is yet another cliché, I have come to realize that it is how we choose to live our lives each day and the kind of people that we choose to be that matters. Life will continue to happen around us and maybe we can enact change and determine our own destiny or maybe we cannot. Either way, we should make the most of each day, take calculated risks and surround ourselves with good people whom we love.
Sometimes we have horrible things happen to us, like our mother getting cancer, and sometimes we have lucky things happen to us, like getting an exam extension because of the weather. Either way, both events are out of our control and the only thing we can do is live our lives to the fullest.
So maybe everything does “happen for a reason,” but what will you do with the lemons that life has handed you?