{"id":860,"date":"2004-08-19T13:36:57","date_gmt":"2004-08-19T16:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ericbrooks.com\/whuzzup\/?p=860"},"modified":"2011-06-05T14:37:06","modified_gmt":"2011-06-05T19:37:06","slug":"happenstance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericbrooks.com\/whuzzup\/happenstance\/","title":{"rendered":"Happenstance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pardon me while I burst… <\/em><\/p>\n

I’m going to go out on a limb here. I hope I do not offend, but I just have to get this off my chest.<\/p>\n

It drives me mad when people say, “Everything happens for a reason”<\/p>\n

No. It. Does. Not.<\/p>\n

Look, I wanna believe in the tooth fairy and jolly green giant too, but that’s just wishful thinking. The fates are not attending anybody’s birth; one pulling the thread of your life, one measuring and another cutting.
\n
\nThings just happen. You either adjust or you don’t. To say that things happen for a reason is to presume there is some kind of fate in play. Which removes control FROM your hands. He who is realistic and adapts…survives.<\/p>\n

Depending on how your mind works and how determined you are it could reasonable be argued for any situation that its good things turned out a over b.
\nNo matter what. Adaptability is key.<\/p>\n

Naturally, I am considered the GROUP pessimist for continually pointing out those unpleasant facts the “positive thinking types” in my office would rather not dwell on.<\/p>\n

Like a year ago when I started telling everybody, “You know we’re working in a dying industry. Everybody should be thinking ahead, get prepared for your next career, get INTO school if you need to, brace yourself”<\/p>\n

And now looky where we are.<\/p>\n

Verily I say unto you, that glass is neither half empty or half full. There’s just too much glass for the amount of water in it.<\/p>\n

I’m not trying to say there isn’t some value to be found in positive reinforcement or in visualizing where you want to end up. Just don’t close yourself off to the negative aspects that are around you at the same time so that you wake up blindsided one day.<\/p>\n

Don’t grant the direction of your life over to some invisible force.
\nFreewill, remember?<\/p>\n

We possess the power over our destiny. I don’t believe in fate. I believe in us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pardon me while I burst… I'm going to go out on a limb here. I hope I do not offend, but I just have to get this off my chest. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-rantz"],"yoast_head":"\nHappenstance - WHUZZUP!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ericbrooks.com\/whuzzup\/happenstance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Happenstance - WHUZZUP!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pardon me while I burst... I&apos;m going to go out on a limb here. 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