Out of Control

It's interesting to consider how much control we really have of our lives. Most people like to think they are the masters of their own destinies, yet we do not know for sure if we will even wake up each morning. It's a safe assumption, particularly if we are in good health and slumbering in a secure place, but you never know.

You never know if the next time you drive to work may be your last. You might be a careful driver but if a less circumspect operator, or worse still a reckless or drunk one, crosses your path, what can you do? I don't mean to be fatalistic and gloomy but the fact remains that our lives are fragile. We are fragile. Already broken, truth be told, and unable to heal completely, we are subject to the vagaries and mysteries of life: at the mercy of other people's choices.

We choose many things in life while many others are chosen for us. Some of our choices are good, and some are not. Some seem right when we make them only to be later proved unwise. The future is the undiscovered country. We make our plans, and as the saying goes...God laughs. Whether you believe in a sovereign God as I do, or in fate or whatever you call it, only a fool thinks he is the master of his own destiny. Control is an illusion. Embrace the uncertainty and put your trust in someone who knows everything and is actually in total control.

Are you the master of your destiny?

Two Baskets of Mysteries

Why does tragedy scar some people's lives while others escape the carnage of apparently random misfortune? We all have only partial control of what happens to us. Most of the time we are weak and vulnerable. Any single car journey I make could be my last. I am relatively healthy now but I could be diagnosed with cancer tomorrow. Anything could happen to me or anyone else in this crazy rollercoaster ride called life. But what's the point? So far I have pretty much cruised through life unscathed. Why have I been so blessed when others have been hammered? If 1 in 4 children have been sexually abused, why wasn't I one of them? We hear so many stories of children with serious illness, yet the worst thing my teenagers have been afflicted with is a 24 hour gastro bug.

I could spend the rest of my life presenting examples of the seeming randomness of life but I still wouldn't be able to answer the question, "why?" Perhaps a better question would be: is it even possible to answer the question "why?"

The latter question I can answer. There is much in life which can only be described as inexplicable, as mystery. There is a difference however between mystery that isn't understood, and mystery which can't be understood. Mystery that isn't understood suggests that it is at least possible to find some rational explanation for the unknown. Much like an Agatha Christie novel, one only needs to investigate the clues and apply logic, and the mystery can be solved. Life is not like that.

The mystery of life and its irregular bestowal of blessings and curses upon participating individuals, that is, all of us, cannot be understood. It is, I believe, very wise to know your own limitations. The mystery of random suffering cannot be solved.

There are then, if you accept this premise, two possible responses. Many people take the philosophical view that is so eloquently summarized in the bumper sticker slogan, "shit happens". They accept life as it is without needing a reason or an explanation. That's just the way it is. Others don't need an explanation because they know if they were told the answer, they would not understand it anyway. They do, however, like me, believe that there is a reason. That reason can't be comprehended by feeble finite minds because it emanates from the infinite and indescribable awesomeness of God. There is a reason. There is purpose.

Many say the purpose of life is simply to be born, to live, breed, eat drink and be merry, suffer, ride the rollercoaster, and then die. If that's all there is, then I want my money back. What a rip off! What a waste of precious time. Almost as great a mystery as the question of suffering, is the question why people accept the philosophy that we live, we suffer and then we die, and there is no point to it. That's not good enough for me. I need to know there is more, even if I can't understand it, and I do...and I can't.

God Had an Accident

I heard a very learned man on the radio today. A professor of physics, astronomy and natural philosophy (I didn't realize you could have unnatural philosophy). He was explaining, as fact, his opinion on the origins of complex, intelligent life on Earth. Go to http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/conversations and look for the interview with Marcelo Gleiser. Listen and marvel at the absurdity of an intelligent man describing the miracle of life as an aberration.

Here are some further examples of this man's outrageous folly. Life is a wonderful accident without purpose. This imperfect universe and the life in it are chance outcomes of random conspiracy. Humans are animated stardust. I have to stop. I want to use very strong language to condemn this nonsense.

I am not impressed by people who are "puffed up" with knowledge. I am a simple man so I like simple arguments. What is the origin of life? There are only two possible answers. God, or an accident.

I am not a product of chance. I am not an accident, and neither are you. God doesn't have accidents, and only fools deny the existence of a Creator.