Can't bad things just happen? Or, do bad things happen for a reason?

1. 77

   pmorriesposted 11 years ago

   Can't bad things just happen? Or, do bad things happen for a reason?
   
   Some people act like it is one's own fault that one gets cancer (e.g., not eating right) or getting robbed (one acted like a victim) or even for suffering a natural disaster (for putting out a negative vibe). What do you think and could you write a hub about it?
   
   

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   wqaindiaposted 11 years ago

   I believe in Economics' Trade Cycle theory. What ever has gone us has to come down. Graph of Karma, Good Luck or Bad Luck can not have same trend always as it is just like stock markets going up and down and rhythm in an electrocardiogram. Ecological imbalances, Natural imbalances of abundance and scarcity, Imbalances created by man or nature, Regional imbalances, Economic imbalances, Political imbalances, Rise and fall of dynasties, Demo-graphical imbalances within the family, society, region or world tend to correct by themselves. There is nothing like that Whatever has happened it has happened for a good reason or bad reason. Correction is the accepted natural phenomenon.

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      Insane Mundaneposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I wouldn't compare a Yin & Yang balance for the cosmos with, uh, silly economics!  Mankind is anything but balanced, to say the least!   Meanwhile, nature works in unison with the harmony that was originally provided...  :rolls eyes:

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      WalterPoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Insane Mundane, without balance, the world would have collapsed long ago. I agree with wqaindia to some extent. To me, economic trade cycles are real, but it doesn't explain why people suffer robbery or sudden illness, or lost a job. Karma? Maybe...

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I am not even sure if i believe in a Yin and Yang balance for the cosmos; however,wqaindia, you make some very interesting and well thought out points.

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   edhanposted 11 years ago

   Karma & effect for things that are happening to anyone. But there are certain things that we can avert through changes.
   
   It is like what Feng Shui does for a person. You can change your destiny of fate if you take certain steps once you know your fate. It is like when a person walks to a fork road that split into left & right. So the decision of going to the left road brings you to a fate that is coming ahead and right road will be a different fate. So, you can do things to change your fate that is going to happen. The choice will be yours to face.

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I like your answer about the fork in the road. It seems very apt to me.

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   cynthiaalburo0322posted 11 years ago

   Yes, There is a reason for everything...We can not blame others on the outcome of what we've been through or how miserable we are right now, It is not of how you are going to take it but how are you going to look at it..remember we are all responsible in our own actions.It is either you destructed or constructed by the evil doers. The devil will always frustrate you to become bitter and miserable..God knows His children but He is in favor to those who obey His commandments.
   And He won't allow something that would hurt us more than we can bear, God knows our heart.
   God upsets our plans so that HE can set up HIS plans for us!

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I thank you for your answer, and I admire your faith.

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   Sherry Hewinsposted 11 years ago

   Bad things do just happen. Certainly good people get sick, and injured and robbed through no fault of their own. Some people like to think the victim did something wrong as a defense mechanism, if they don't do what the victim did, that bad thing won't happen to them. Some people like to think something good will come of it, like some kind of spiritual awakening or epiphany. I've even heard people with cancer say they were grateful for it. You can try to make the best of the hand you're dealt, but surely most people would not get cancer if they had the choice.

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think people want to think that through their own actions they can avoid cancer; however, cancer and other bad things can happen to a person through no fault of their own. Thanks for stopping by.

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      WalterPoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Pmorries, some cancers are due to karmic causes. I saw a woman with breast cancer that was said to be caused by abortion. Whether the cause of the latter case is true or otherwise, I'm not too sure. All I know is that some illnesses are due to karma.

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6. 59

   Jared Milesposted 11 years ago

   There are definitely examples of people who become the subject of bad circumstances through their own actions. In this way, bad things do happen for a reason.
   
   More generally however, I think that things just happen. I don't believe in Karma, or a cyclic nature of existence, or anything like that. I think that we as humans have an ultimately somewhat arrogant confidence in our ability to deconstruct the world around us.
   
   Sometimes, I think we have to accept that bad things just happen, whether that's sickness, a natural disaster, or being robbed. We can't control natural disasters, there's always going to be sicknesses we can't heal, or people we can't help, and that is just the nature of life.
   
   I don't believe we can influence the world around us to such an important degree, (where we are the cause of our natural disasters, etc.) just by having a negative attitude. The world keeps turning regardless of where we are and what we do, and it will likely continue to exist long after humanity disappears.
   
   So, some things happen for a reason, but other things happen because they always have happened, and we have to accept that and live knowing the limits of our abilities.
   
   Sorry if all that sounded very pessimistic by the way, it isn't meant to

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would have to say that i agree with about every point that you make, and I thank you for your answer.

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   WalterPoonposted 11 years ago

   I believe that good and bad things happen randomly. Just as in quantum mechanics, where microscopic phenomena are objectively random, so also are good and bad things objectively random at the individual level. But when seen as a whole population, we may yet see some pattern, e.g. car accident rates, or the incidence of lung cancer among smokers. So why does Smoker A gets lung cancer, while Smoker B does not? And why does a hypochondriac gets lung cancer? Only God knows... and I mean it figuratively. It would be absurd to think that a loving God would cast an illness on the victim.

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would say that life is a lot more random than people think.

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   DDEposted 11 years ago

   Bad things happen all the time but to certain people, and it can't be avoided. Things happen and good and bad, life is full of surprises

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your input.

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   kessposted 11 years ago

   One the page, the Ink perceive it self as the master, for it can do whatsoever it will, but yet at the same time it recognises that it is contrasting to the page, thus it see itself as less.
   
   The page see itself as master because because of it's power, the  ink is made to manifested, but at the same time because of the the contrast to the ink, it sees itself as less.
   
   Now because each perceive themselves as less, protecting them selves, one from the other becomes necessary. So they both put up a resistance.
   By that resistance, the domination of the paper over the ink is incomplete, which also mean the domination of the ink over the paper is also incomplete.
   
   Thus evil (resistance to your neighbor) is created and by this the poem remain written as written....
   
   Evil does not,neither can it ever exist...but by our perception of being less than our neighbo, it has been created, and  we bind ourselves to it by resisting our neighbors.
   
   If we quit making  enemies of our neighbors, we then put ourselves in the position to understand the mind of the Poet, and  see the poem written.
   
   Then to that one Evil does not nor can it ever exist....For Evil is merely the struggle to keep in place that which is already in its place.

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   1. 71

      WalterPoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      QUOTE: "Evil does not, neither can it ever exist."
      
      You can say that again, when your house is burgled, LOL.

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      kessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The thief can only steal from thieves...
      But since he cannot steal perspective, he cannot steal my valuables.
      Ofcourse he can have it for free and no longer be a thief stealing from thieves

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      WalterPoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Too esoteric for me...

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      pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I completely agree with you that we need to stop making enemies of our neighbors. As for the rest of it...I will have to think on it for awhile. In closing, I thank you for your different perspective.

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10. 92

    peeplesposted 11 years ago

    Most things happen as a result of previous actions. Maybe not the actions of a victim, but the actions of the person doing wrong. In life everything is just a matter of what reaction will be produced by previous actions. I think the only exception to that is natural disasters. While we can certainly play a role in keeping our planet healthy, I don't believe we can fully control it.
    The saying "Everything happens for a reason" is often used as a tool to attempt to make people feel better when we don't like an outcome. It's nicer than saying "$h*t happens"
    We all play a role in the majority of the things that happen to us. Usually even the bad things.

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    1. 71

       WalterPoonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       QUOTE: "Everything happens for a reason" is often used as a tool to attempt to make people feel better..."
       
       Supposing the doctor says he's got terminal cancer and you said "Everything happens for a reason". He turns around and asks, "What reason?"

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       peeplesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       That's why I prefer the phrase "$h*t happens".

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    3. 77

       pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I think part of the reason people say that things happen for a reason is fear. People do not want to think that really bad things can happen and there is very little you can do about it. Sh@* happens is a very truthful statement.

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11. 58

    Same DiNamicsposted 11 years ago

    I've always believed that things do happen to us for a reason. Sometimes that reason is revealed to us and sometimes not. Sometimes we know it immediately, other times we won't know for a long time.
    
    But I also believe that things do happen to us based on the choices we make in my life. For every action there is a reaction. For every choice there is a consequence.

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       pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       thank you for your answer, and welcome to Hubpages.

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12. 74

    mprenticeposted 11 years ago

    I'm not disagreeing that things like cancer are obviously horrible things, but I think your mental outlook plays a huge part in how it affects you. You could look at every 'bad' thing as bad, but is it really bad? Many things which we perceive as bad actually have a side that we can take advantage of and make an opportunity of.

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       pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Your point is well taken, and i thank you for your input.

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    Jim and Beyondposted 11 years ago

    Try flipping it around, and I think it will make more sense.
    
    People are inclined to ask if there was a reason something happened, good or bad, as if the reason for the event occurred before the event.  Something CAUSED something else.  In actuality, events happen and people then try to find reasons for their occurrence.  It's human nature.  It can be a very useful, comforting reaction, too, especially to bad news.  Some call it Karma, some use more traditional religious explanations, some try to dismiss it with the ever-popular S - - - HAPPENS theory. 
    
    Instead of searching for a reason why something already happened, try to determine what the results of current circumstances will be in the future.

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       pmorriesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Sounds like good advice, and I thank you for stopping by.

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       Jim and Beyondposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       You're welcome.  I should try following that advice MYSELF!  Ha Ha.

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