By Steve K.

People often say ‘everything happens for a reason’ in response to difficult or seemingly random life events. I’ve always had mixed feelings in relation to this statement, particularly when it’s meant to suggest that some higher power or intelligence is guiding or directing events that happen in life.

I think that there are two principal interpretations in relation to the statement that everything happens for a reason. Firstly, in a secular sense, it can be used to suggest that there is a cause-and-effect explanation for why something has happened. Secondly, and more commonly, it is often used to suggest that there is some greater purpose or meaning for what has happened which is determined by fate, a higher power, God, or the universe.

The first interpretation is true in relation to many things that happen in life but is also questionable as some things are unobservable and outside the realm of empirical scientific study. For example, consciousness cannot be observed objectively and can only be experienced subjectively. Science has so far been unable to explain a physical cause of consciousness and can only speculate as to its origins. The same is true in relation to the origins of the universe and life within it. What caused or came before the ‘big bang’? How did life come about on our planet? Again, science can only speculate and cannot prove a first cause for either phenomenon.

The second interpretation suggesting a hidden purpose for an event is a metaphysical hypothesis and purely a matter of faith. Which isn’t to say that it isn’t the case. There may be a greater purpose or meaning that we just cannot know or understand. However, the suggestion of a higher power at work organising everything is problematic for many rationalists. If this greater power is directing all events in life, it’s also creating much suffering in the world too. The belief in a greater purpose at work is fatalistic and can be used to deny the existence of free will. Science suggests determinism which can also be viewed as denying free will but for material causal reasons.

Why do so many people believe metaphysically that everything happens for a reason without any objective proof that this is the case? Religious convictions are one reason. The monotheistic religions suggest that God is ‘all powerful’ and ‘all knowing’ and lead to the belief that ‘nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake.’ (Alcoholics Anonymous’, third edition, p.449.) Buddhism and Hinduism both advocate for a belief in karma, which suggests that our lives are determined to a large degree by our past actions from previous lives. People also hold various mystical beliefs that often involve a belief in fatalism and a larger cosmic order.

It’s also my experience that seemingly secular people with no obvious religious or spiritual leanings often suggest they believe in a greater or hidden purpose behind events, particularly those that involve hardship.

Human beings are not just creatures of reason and logic, they also possess intuition, creative insight, feelings of awe, wonder, connection, and love. Many also possess an innate sense of a metaphysical realm of existence. There seems to be a natural impulse in this respect.

When reflecting on past experiences, we often believe that things happened as they did in order that we would end up where we are today. This could be a case of post hoc reasoning and joining up the dots after events – a type of cognitive bias interpreting meaning, connection, and purpose where none exist.

We can also reflect upon incredible synchronicities that have happened to us where there doesn’t appear to be a typical material causal relationship between events that often benefit us, or that seem meaningful. These are powerful experiences that cannot be explained objectively (some examples are widely beyond mathematical probability) and are only truly understood subjectively. Science tends to dismiss the subjective which for many makes it an inadequate method of enquiry.

Another way of understanding the belief in a greater purpose or meaning behind events in life is in our personal attitude in response to what happens to us. An example being events involving suffering and hardship viewed as ‘opportunities for growth’. This is an example of a positive philosophy that we can choose to adopt for ourselves. Suffering and hardship often create resilience and change for the better, as well as a greater sense of compassion towards others experiencing difficulties in life. This can often lead to a life dedicated to service, which is a positive outcome towards a greater good. In short, we can all choose to give our lives meaning and purpose even in the absence of any supernatural beliefs relating to a higher intelligence or God’s plan.

In terms of my own experience and beliefs, I’m often left with ambiguous feelings in relation to the statement ‘everything happens for a reason’. When thinking about all the suffering that occurs in the world, it feels unlikely that a benign force is at work directing things. Human will and nature’s randomness and indifference seem to be in charge. At other times, I’m overwhelmed by the subjective sense of a higher reality at work and amazed at the coincidences that seem well beyond reasonable probability. Life is still full of mystery despite the advances in knowledge gained from scientific study.

I cannot know if everything happens for a reason in a metaphysical, mystical, or religious sense and it is left to my subjective experience and beliefs to decide. I advocate for the great American psychologist William James’ view in relation to philosophical ideas that are impossible to prove. He suggests a ‘willingness to believe’ that which is most pragmatic and helpful to us and others. In this sense we then open ourselves to the reality of the belief in our lives.

I also advocate giving my life meaning and purpose in how I choose to live and respond to what happens to me. I choose to believe in free will to a degree and can search for and make efforts to create a meaningful existence for myself and others.

I take inspiration from the following words found in Viktor Frankl’s well-known book Man’s Search for Meaning.

“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even under the most difficult circumstances – to add a deeper meaning to his life.”