Does everything happen for a reason?

Seriously. Think about your life and the events that lead up to other events. Do you believe that everything that has happened to you thus far has been determined by the little things? Do you believe there are signs pointing us in the smarter directions and warning signs of those not to choose?

I believe everything is random.:shrug:

I believe we punish ourselves for things we do we know are wrong. It happens on a subconsious level.

When you dream you see everything in a movie like quality. It's perfect and everything is where it should be...you couldn't write a script that perfect, you couldn't direct a movie that brilliantly. But if you wake up and tried to draw a picture of your dream, you couldn't do it...although in your mind's eye it was perfect. That is your soul, and none of the mistakes you make with the brushstrokes can affect the fact that in your mind's eye, you have constructed something perfect for yourself and your soul.

So you are basically just learning how to draw literally what your soul already knows to be perfect and true.

but sometimes people are drawn to negative situations because they've been taught to think they've done something wrong, or that they're inferior. I'm thinking specifically of people who've been abused, and have difficulty maintaining relationships that are not abusive.

My dreams are nothing like visions of perfection.

Tucker

Because everything must have happened the way it has happened for a reason because I am insane.

Bad things, good things..they all end up defining your character and leading you in a new direction.

As for signs pointing us in smarter directions, I think that we draw on experiences from our past, having learned some lessons from them, that give us discernment later on..

Most things are random; some things are the result of others' choices; and some are the result of our own choices. There may be a few things that happen for a reason--but the ratio of signal to noise is extremely poor.

Tucker

I can't say whether or not events are predetermined; but I can find the lessons that each event has to teach.

Things happen, and we find reasons why.

One of the things that make us human (and smart) is our ability to detect patterns in events and determine relatedness. However a common mistake is to confuse causality and correlation.

Things happen to us all the time. We do have free will and the ability to shape events. But if your brother gets shot tomorrow it is not a "reason". It is because people, in that case the shooter, is evil, venal and mean.

i cant think of one thing in my life that is beyond the realm of coincidence. i think its all random chance. maybe there are unseen repercussions of my actions that if i knew of them i might see it differently, but i cant find a reason for anything, actually.

-LK

I'd like to think so anyway. At least it seems to give a bit more purpose to everything when things don't quite make sense. Sometimes something happens and it's hard to figure out what the purpose was. Other times you look back and regret something but then realize if you could go and change it, you'd also be missing something wonderful too. Over the years and months, I've had these signs pointing me to something and I couldn't figure out why and then something happened where it made sense, but it still doesn't all quite make sense completely. Anyway, there's something quite cosmic to all this stuff or I'm completely whacked. Perhaps a bit of both. :D

I believe that events are random. You can attempt to provide a reason/justification for certain occurrences, but often such notions are entirely self-serving and the product of a conscious desire for purpose. Look at the ultimate cop-out, the theistic justification: things happen according to God's will. If my child has died, it is because of God's Will and His plan. If I lose all my money, it is because of God's Will and His plan. If my village is hit by a tornado, it is because of God's Will and His plan. This form of thinking is not provable (or deniable), and exists merely to comfort those who are forced to experience such dreadful events. Consequently, the same also works for positive instances as well. If I win the lottery, I give thanks to God. This assumes that is was divine will that led to your winning, not chance or fortune. Again, one cannot confirm or deny this.

My point is that everything, in my opinion, occurs without purpose. Instead, life flows anarchically, taking different passages when events prompt it to.

Determinism is a function of the human capacity to form narratives from probably-unrelated events. For more information, I recommend the excellent book _The Literary Mind_ by Mark Turner, a guy with a cross-appointment in both English and Cognitive Science. Not *only* does he know what he's talking about, but he writes well about it, too. :)

an infinite string of causes which lead to an infinite string of effects.