“Everything Happens for a Reason.”
Does that quote indicate a belief in Fate? Consider the following scenarios.
- Jay’s erratic driving causes a traffic accident that severely wounds another driver and her child but spares Jay any injury and barely even damages his car. He is however arrested on suspicion of recklessness following an investigation of the accident scene. After a night in jail, Jay has to face his father, Zed, who has come to bail him out. Before he agrees to pay, Zed asks his son to explain how the accident happened. “Everything happens for a reason, son,” he says to Jay.
. - Kay lies in her hospital bed clinging to life. She had been drinking heavily the night of the accident, while driving her daughter home. Deeply shamed by her behavior and buoyed by the outpouring of love and concern from her friends who visit her bedside, Kay reconnects with her life and family and resolves to quit her irresponsible behavior. Suffering intense pain from her injuries, she nevertheless tells her friend, “Everything happens for a reason.”
. - Jay has no contact with Kay during her hospitalization, but the death of Kay’s daughter fills him with guilt and remorse. He sees the accident as an indictment of his recklessness but senses the hand of God at work in sparing him. He doesn’t change his behavior in any way, but forever after he believes that whatever occurs in his life is God’s will, over which he has no control and for which he bears no responsibility. “Everything happens for a reason,” is how he describes the human condition.
. - Zed regrets having raised a son as irresponsible as Jay and resolves to do a better job with his daughter Dee. Together they form an organization called Teens at the Scene that promotes safe teenage driving, accident prevention, and emergency responsiveness. After years of labor, they take the group national, score big, and become very influential, as well as rich. Zed proposes a toast to their good fortune, but Dee replies, “Everything happens for a reason, Dad.”
Exercise
Regarding the four declarations that “everything happens for a reason,” in a Reply below,
- Number your answers 1-4.
- Identify which of the four declarations are expressions of a belief in fate.
- For those that are NOT declarations of fate, describe what they do declare.
alwaystired247
AnonymousStudent
azntaco
beforeverge
BigBabyBaller
bitagaming
breakingbad1820
Caravan
cinderella1013
davidbdale
Yankeelover18
duck
fatboy489zt
giantsfan224
glacierfreeze21
gobirds17
green0728
gymrat230
hollyp715
Gir
jerseymikes1106
jesusisking1738
jetsfan806
Kenneth Alex Krug
manipulator66
mercythyhealer14
mochaatrain
oni
powerranger
peanut2348
pinkcottoncandy4
princess01430
redbird1123
rubes1256
shxrkbait
sillyinternetperson
soulpond47240
spatel8267
stingingcrib5
tacotyphoon
thepersonindisguise
usmnt23
worldofjuice999
xephos1
Counterintuitive Fall 2022 
scenario 1 – no belief in fate, declares that the accident was indeed Jay’s fault and there is nothing he can do now to change it
scenario 2 – yes belief in fate, because of the accident she now decides to turn her life around and be a better person
scenario 3 – no belief in fate, jay does not decide to do anything in result of the accident so therefore it did not impact him or teach him a lesson, which is what fate is supposed to do
scenario 4- yes belief in fate, because of the accident they decide to create a program to help many others which would have not come to be if it wasn’t for the accident.
1. Fate is real and everything happens for a reason. Jay was supposed to crash that day.
2. Everything happens for a reason because after the accident kay quit her unhealthy drinking habits
3. After the death of Kay’s daughter Jay is very sad about it. This is not a declaration in fate but it declares that Jay will leave every action to god from here on out
4. This is a declaration in fate because Zed decides he will now raise his daughter better than Jay.
1. I believe that it isn’t considered fate in this situation, I believe that it was simply luck or simply a coincidence that he was uninjured in the accident.
2. I believe that this isn’t a situation of fate but a consequence for her actions. If she had not been drinking and driving she might have not been put in that situation.
3. I believe that this is considered fate. This is because Jay believes that what occurs in his life is God’s will, that he has no control over what happens that something or someone else has chosen for him.
4. I believe that this isn’t fate because they chose to take initiative and create that organization and but in the work to make it succeed.
1: not a declaration of faith, but just saying basically it’s ok.
2: I feel in this case it’s almost to say that the accident happened in order to make her life better so not necessarily fate driven, but causal
3: this feels like he just doesn’t want to take responsibility for his actions.
4: this feels like a declaration of fate since the girl replied everything happens for a reason to the toast, it’s saying that she doesn’t believe it was their hard work or dedication that got them there, but a greater force
1. “Everything happens for a reason” is a clear declaration of fate.
2. This also is on faith because the connection of family and reconciliation’s impact. One would not happen without the other.
3. ” whatever occurs in his life is God’s will, over which he has no control and for which he bears no responsibility” is a clear declaration of fate
4. This is the weakest declaration but more of an ironic development. Irresponsible becoming the leader of a safety organization feels more ironic than like fate.
I think that 2 and 4 was definitely belief in the fate. The third one is definitely not faith as he is saying that he will continue to be reckless and do whatever he wants, while whatever happens around him is Gods will, not his own fault. I think one can be, because Zed is telling his son that everything happens for a reason and that everything will be okay, so maybe not directly linked with the actual quote faith itself.
1. Zed indicates a belief in fate, he tells his son this because he believes he had been spared with barely any damage to the car and his son.
2. A belief in fate, because she has changed her old habits and behavior.
3. A belief in fate, because he believes that whatever happens next is gods will, and he doesn’t hold any control over it.
4. Dee says this because her and her father have created something out of an accident, not a belief in fate.
1. Not a belief in fate, Zed is talking about the reason the accident happened, what Jay did incorrectly.
2. Belief in fate, Kay is taking her accident as a sign from a higher power to stop her irresponsible behavior.
3. Belief in fate, but is using fate as an excuse to act recklessly.
4. Not a belief in fate, Dee is saying that it was their own hard work.
1. Fate doesn’t have a place here. “Everything happens for a reason” merely describes the logistics/facts of the situation; drunk driving + erratic driving = accident.
2. Fate definitely has a place here. Kay believes that god punished her for her reckless actions, and she takes it as an opportunity to be better in the future.
3. Jay is now a firm believer in fate. He now believes that everything that happens is God’s will; that “everything happens for a reason.”
4. I don’t think fate has a place here. Dee’s use of the phrase “everything happens for a reason” is merely used to inform Zed that they are here now because of THEIR actions. Their wealthy new practice happened because of THEM, not fate.
1 – Since jay was driving erratically he caused an accident with severe wounds another driver and a child which lead to Jay being sent to jail which was rightful since he was driving wrongfully and putting people in danger so he was meant to be punished.
2 – Kay was drinking heavily while she was driving her daughter and suffered a car accident that made her change her way once she realized what the consequence are and to keep her family and daughter safe.
3 – It seems like Jay sees this act of recklessness and believes that whatever occurs in his life is because of God’s will. This means that Jay is not responsible for what has done and had no control over his own actions.
4 – Both Zed and Dee decided to create an organization called Teens at the Scene helping to promote safe teenage driving which made them a national and very influential group not because they learned from someone else actions and decided a change needed to happen.
1 The first sentence that has the statement Everything happens for a reason is a belief in fate because the occurrence of the accident was all jays fault.
2 The second sentence with the statement has no declaration of fate because they are declaring that the accident will change the way they think and will cause them to not drink.
3 The third sentence with the statement expresses a belief in faith because jay states that it is in the hands of God.
4 The fourth sentence with the statement is not a belief in fate because zed and dee are the ones that created the organization Teens at the scene.
1. not a declaration of faith. They are just saying that it’s ok.
2. Everything happens for a reason because after the accident kay quit her unhealthy drinking habits
3. I consider this fate because Jay believes that what occurs in his life is God’s will
4. A declaration of fate since the girl replied everything happens for a reason.
1. There is no indication of fate. Instead, the father is referring to some underlying cause that led to the incident.
2. I believe that this is an indication of fate as if the accident acted as a spark of realization to change her destructive ways.
3. This feels like he is in denial and does not want to up to his mistakes, therefore he looks to a higher power as a scapegoat.
4. I believe that this is an indication of fate because though a tragic incident occurred, it allowed for the creation of an organization used to bring about a positive change in the world.
1. I don’t believe that this is fate because nothing happened to Jay, the one who was driving recklessly. However, his father believes in fate because he knew that Jay might have been driving recklessly and the consequences caught up to him. The only thing is that another family had to pay the price.
2. There is a belief in fate because Kay needed some insight into her life. Before that point, she was living a careless lifestyle, and once she went to the hospital, she realized how poor she had been acting. This was a wake-up call, and Kay believed it to be fate.
3. Jay has no belief in fate because he doesn’t believe that his actions led to those consequences. He thinks it was just God. With no change in behavior, fate would make another event like this happen again.
4. I don’t think this is a declaration of faith because when Dee says everything happens for a reason, I think she is saying this more because she feels that they have to make up for her brother’s actions rather than it being fate.
1. Fate is not involved in this scenario. Zed was just saying everything happens for a reason as a way to reassure his son. The accident was bound to happen because of his erratic driving, not because of some bigger presence.
2. There is a belief in fate in this one. If it weren’t for the accident, Kay might not have been able to quit her drinking problem.
3. Fate is not present. Jay does not believe his actions are the problem and that God caused them to happen. Since he is not changing his behavior, “fate” would cause this event to happen again.
4. There is a belief in fate here. The accident caused Zed and Dee to want to start an organization to encourage safe driving. There would be no program if it weren’t for Jay getting in an accident.
Before I post my reactions, I should say I rarely agree with my students’ assessments on this exercise. Also, we don’t have to agree. It’s just fun to argue.
1. Fate is not involved in this scenario. Zed was just saying everything happens for a reason as a way to reassure his son. The accident was bound to happen because of his erratic driving, not because of some bigger presence.
—I thought Zed was tired of Jay’s excuses and wanted him to clearly state that he was at fault, that Jay’s behavior was the reason for the accident.
2. There is a belief in fate in this one. If it weren’t for the accident, Kay might not have been able to quit her drinking problem.
—I agree. Kay’s profession that everything happens for a reason is a declaration that her daughter was taken from her to teach her a lesson.
3. Fate is not present. Jay does not believe his actions are the problem and that God caused them to happen. Since he is not changing his behavior, “fate” would cause this event to happen again.
—I disagree. Jay’s claim sounds to me like an exoneration for all his future crappy behavior. Why do you think that DOESN’T sound like blaming everything on Fate?
4. There is a belief in fate here. The accident caused Zed and Dee to want to start an organization to encourage safe driving. There would be no program if it weren’t for Jay getting in an accident.
—I disagree. To me, Dee’s reaction to the toast to “good fortune” is a rebuke to the notion that luck (or fate) could have replaced all their hard work.
1. This is not an example of fate. By saying “Everything happens for a reason,” Zed is implying that the accident happened as a result of Jay’s choices. It could have been reckless driving or anything else. This is why he wants him to explain how. If it was fate, there would be no explanation.
2. This is an example of fate. Even though she is dying, she still believes that she crashed for a reason, which to her, is most likely to wake up and fix her drinking problem. It is an odd thing to say after your daughter dies, though.
3. This is an example of fate. Jay is using fate to excuse his bad behavior. He does whatever he wants to with no self-control because he believes that his choices are inevitable.
4. I don’t think this is an example of fate. What Dee means when she says “Everything happens for a reason” is that their hard work and care for others is what got them where they are. The only reason they made the choice to start the company is because of Jay’s accident, but it lead to good things and happiness.
1. I believe this first scenario does not describe a belief in fate. He is asking his son the exact reasons the accident occured.
2. I think this is also not fate. This is the realization of one’s actions and a coping mechanism .
3. This is a belief in fate. He believes this is God’s will.
4. I don’t think this is a belief in fate but rather people taking advantage of a negative situation. I take it almost as a sarcastic or joking response.
1. Not a declaration of fate as if jay wasn’t driving recklessly then the accident wouldn’t have happened.
2. A declaration of fate as Kays’s erratic behavior got her there but it allowed her to reconnect with her family and change her actions so something like this doesn’t happen again.
3. Not a declaration of fate but rather blaming god for future consequences.
4. Not a declaration of fate as Dee is inferring that they got to where they are based on the actions and work they have put into creating the organization.
1. Not fate, but a belief that there was a cause to the car accident.
2. Fate, destined to reunite with family and break her habit.
3. Fate, a belief in God’s will, out of Jay’s control.
4. Not fate, it feels like Dee says it more to acknowledge their luck after the accident.
1. I don’t think this is a declaration of fate as the father is using “everything happens as a reason” to find out how the accident occurred, implying that his son was driving recklessly.
2. This is a declaration of fate because in her mind, she believes that the accident was a sign that her habits needed to change.
3. This is a declaration of fate because Jay feels that nothing can change what God has planned for his life.
4. I think it is a declaration of fate because they are using Jay’s accident as the driving force to open up their organization. Without his accident, they don’t believe that they would have opened that organization which is meant to help others.
I believe that the phrase ” everything happens for a reason” means that there is always a good result with bad occurrences we just have to look for them. For this reason, I believe that scenarios 2 and 4 are “everything happens for a reason” situations whereas 1 and 3 are not. I believe this because in 1 and 3 you see the individual responsible for the accident using “everything happens for a reason” as an excuse turning it less into a course of fate and more of a lack of responsibility. In 1 and 3 there is more accountability for actions and a call to action that might have never occurred if it weren’t for the accident. Therefore even though the perpetrator in 1 and 3 is still responsible for what is occurring they are turning it into a positive thing.
1. I do not believe that this is an expression of fate. The father is giving more of a “cause and effect” type of question when telling jay “everything happens for a reason.
2. This is an expression of fate. Kay’s thinking after the car accident allowed her to reconnect with her family and she believes it is fate
3. This is an expression of fate. Jay isn’t questioning what happens after this, he is leaving it to God which is believing in fate
4. I don’t believe this is an expression of fate. Dee is kind of just saying it to say it.
1. This is not a belief in fate. Zed is trying to learn how his son got into an accident, and by saying everything happens for a reason, he’s stating that the accident didn’t just randomly happen.
2. This scenario seems to revolve much more around fate. This accident happened to Kay, yet she believes that this accident happened to her so she could reconnect with her family and loved ones.
3. I see this as a sense of fate. People act in this way all around the world. They follow God’s path as whatever he has planned for them is their fate.
4. I see Dee’s proclamation as a proclamation of fate as well. She is implying that their family wouldn’t have their success, their riches if Jay didn’t crash his car the years prior.
1: Story number 2 describe a belief in fate. After this accident, Kay understands the error of her ways and begins improving herself, saying that it was fate that help her make this switch.
2: Story number 3 is also a declaration of faith. Even though Jay initially felt guilty about Kay’s daughter’s death, he then begins to believe that it is fate that spared him. This causes him to devoid himself of any personal responsibility, and rather attribute it as the natural, unwavering course of events, all directed by fate.
3: Story number 3 ends with an accusation rather than a belief in faith. After the accident, Zed finds his son in jail and asks him why did he cause the accident. Saying “everything happens for a reason” is Zed saying that there must be an explanation behind the accident.
4: Story number 4 is a statement that every effect has its cause. After forming an organization that gains much popularity and wealth, Zed decides to toasts on good fortune, but his daughter Dee reminds him that it wasn’t good fortune that got them to this spot, but through Zed’s hard work and dedication to the organization.
There is no belief in fate. Zed is asking his son how the accident happened. As to say that there is a reason behind this crash and he wants Jay to explain it to him.
No belief in fate. Kay is implying that the actions that she took led her to reconnect with her family. Fate is bound to happen, but isn’t implied like that in this paragraph.
Belief in fate. Jay is believing that his future is bound to occur in a series of events no matter what he tries to change.
Belief in fate. Dee says that good fortune is not needed because the future is set.
1. This one isn’t really a declaration of fate. Nothing really happens to Jay while Kay and her daughter are the ones that are in the hospital. Jay saying “everything happens for a reason” makes him seem more like a jerk and he didn’t have an answer for what happened.
2. This scenario is more like a declaration of faith in my opinion. Instead of people seeing every negative thing as a negative, they will instead turn it into a lesson that they’ll take with them or they’ll see it as God’s way of stirring them in the right direction in life. In this case, it’s a wake up call for Kay to quit her reckless driving
3. This isn’t a declaration of faith. I see it more as Jay acknowledging that his reckless driving is a problem, but he’s not going to do anything about this. The lesson that he could’ve learned he decided to disregard it.
4. I would consider this a declaration of faith. The organization that they created to promote the responsible driving of teens would not have come into existence without Jay and his reckless driving.
1. There is no fate in this accident. Jay was driving erratically and this accident was bound to happen do to his driving. How him and his car were not injured or damaged and the other car was along with the people in it, it should show a lesson to Jay.
2. There is fate in this scenario. Even though the decision was horrible everything turned out for the better and kay learned from this and bettered herself greatly.
3. There is no fate in this situation. Jay doesn’t think that it was his fault with the accident, but it was just part of Gods plan for him.
4. There is no fate in this scenario. Jay’s accident shouldn’t have happened if he was smarter and the business with them doing something right, but no belief in fate. The accident caused Zed and Dee to start the organization.
1. I don’t believe what happened to Jay was fate because he was the one driving recklessly and nothing happened to him. Jay’s father does believe in fate because his consequences have caught up with his actions.
2. I do think this was fate because Kay reconnected with her family after the accident, if this had never happened she wouldn’t have reconnected with her family.
3. Jay seems to have no sense of fate; he just believes its God’s will and doesn’t change his behavior. Fate will cause a life-changing event to happen again.
3. I don’t believe this is an example of fate, Zed described “Everything happens for a reason” with the hard work he went through with Zee, not because of fate.
1. Not fate, because the reason for the accident was Jay’s reckless driving
2. Fate, because she seems to believe that after something like this things could only get better
3. Fate, because he believes anything he does is God’s will
4. Not fate, because the got their good fortune as a product of the accident
1. Zed believes in faith
2. Kay believes in faith
3. This seems less in a belief in faith and more in absurdity. If there is no responsibility or consequences in action then they don’t matter. If everything happens for a reason then some part of it must matter in the process. If not, nothing needs a reason to happen.
4. Dee seems to believe in faith though it is not certain. She already knows the events of the past and sees how they played out, she might not say this if she didn’t know the outcome these events.
– “Everything Happens for a Reason”
– #1- Does the quote indicate fate?: No, I do not believe this indicated fate because it was a normal car crash he survived. He declared that the car crash just happened because it was meant to.
– #2 Yes, I believe that this is fate because she states that she connects with her life and family and decides to stop her bad decisions
– #3 Yes, I believe that this does indicate fate because he was touched by the hand of god and feels guilty even though he has never talked to Kay’s daughter.
– #4 No, I do not think this shows fate because they only started a program to help better educate since Zed believes Jay is an irresponsible driver.
1. No Zed does not believes in fate. He’s asking his son to explain how the accident happened, because something must have caused it. He’s not stating that the crash was inevitable, he’s asking for an explanation.
2. Yes Kay believes in fate. She’s holding herself accountable, and is taking comfort in the idea that she can positively change from this incident.
3. No jay does not believes in fate. He doesn’t believe that this event happened for a reason, just that God spared him. He’s believing that God controls the consequences, not that everything happens for a reason. There is no change for the better.
4. Yes Dee believes in fate. She’s acknowledging that her success came from a terrible accident. Because of what happened, she was able to make changes and do better. It’s cause and effect.
1. Fate is present here, “ everything happens for a reason”. Jay was supposed to crash that day.
2. after the accident kay quit her unhealthy drinking habits proving that it was fate and everything happens for a reason
3. After Kay’s daughter’s death, Jay is very sad about it. This is not a declaration in fate but it proves that Jay will leave every action to God from here on out.
4. This is fate because Zed decides he will now raise his daughter better than Jay ever did .
1.its not fate, but is a belief of that it was cause to the car accident
2.it is fate because in her mind it was a sign to tell her to stop her habits
3.It is fate because Jay feels that nothing will change because god had his back
4.Its not fate because dee is just kinda saying it just to say it
1. Belief in fate because Jay’s lack of responsibility and reckless driving caused a huge accident and he ended up in jail as a result which was his fate.
2. Belief in fate because It made Kay realize that she needed to reconnect with her family. Previous events like drunk driving and loosing her daughter made her realize that family and friends are important.
3. There is no belief in fate. Jay still won’t acknowledge that he needs to change his ways in order to better himself. He just believes that all of his actions are being controlled by God and that it’s his fate.
4. Belief in fate because Zed acknowledges that he didn’t raise his son Jay as he should have, and decides to change his daughter’s fate by guiding her the right way.
1) This is not an indication of fate. It could be more of a “lesson learned” sentiment. The crash, part of everything, is implied to have happened to teach Jay a lesson. That he had experienced that and now will naturally be more weary because of that experience.
2) Kay has now improved her lifestyle almost to a greater degree than that before the crash. Though she is still in pain, she believes the was meant to better her. If not fate, she may be implying that a greater power, perhaps a religious figure, guided her to where she is in life using that event. This is an indication of fate.
3) To believe God Himself is guiding your life is an indication of the belief in fate. He believes that, most importantly, he is not in control. Jay does not know the actual reason for the crash was the mother’s inebriation on the night of the crash, rather God saving him from the randomness of the universe.
4) This is not an indication of fate. She is acknowledging her and her father’s hard work in this celebration, something she seems to find important while celebrating. You could argue that the disappointment of the son led to their success, but with the information given it would be silly to assume so.
In scenario 1 is not a belief in fate at all Jay was the reason for the accident it’s no one else’s will doing he had control over that.
In scenario 2 is not a belief because Kay has control over her actions and being in the hospital bed are the results of that. Her wanting to change herself for the future is up to her.
In scenario 3 there is belief in fate because Jay believes everything is God’s doing and he doesn’t have any control over what happens.
In scenario 4 isn’t a belief in fate because everything was in Zed’s control with creating the organization.
1. No belief in fate, but there is a belief that the car accident was a result of reckless driving
2. Belief in fate, she was able to rekindle her relationship with her family because of her accident
3. Belief in fate, he believes that God has a plan for him
4. Belief in fate, Dee believes that it’s fate that allowed them to become successful
1. I believe Jays accident was not fate. This is because the Father asks Jay what happened suggesting Jay did something to cause the accident and not fate causing the accident.
2. Kay shows a belief in fate because the accident caused her to reconnect with family and old friends; even Kay suggesting she would stop her irresponsible behavior.
3. Jay shows a belief in fate, but in a negative way. Instead of realizing Jay can shape his fate and life he would rather just settle for the lazy irresponsible answer which is “things happen to me because god wants them to happen to me” this shows he is not willing to take action against problems thrown at Jay by fate.
4. Zed shows a belief in fate because Zed’s son was really irresponsible and Zed said to himself he would not raise his daughter Dee the same way. From this Zed to the action and belief to change his parenting methods with his daughter and started to make good money on a business they created together. Zed shows fate by believing if he parented Dee differently she would not be like Jay.
1.Fate was being used as a comforter not a belief.
2.Fate was being believed in to change ones actions and improve their life from tragedy.
3.Still an example of fate being used as a belief to motivate his life
4.More of an ironic call back statement to fate rather than a belief it was the driving factor.
1. This does not indicate a belief in fate. It is being used as a way to make Jay feel better for his careless actions.
2. This can indicate a belief in fate. Following Kay’s careless actions, she experiences pain and suffering that teaches her to appreciate the life she is given.
3. This indicates that Jay believes that his fate rests in God’s hands, so it does indicate a level of belief. He just puts all of it in the hands of others rather than changing for the better.
4. Dee saying this may indicate that she believes that their success was due to fate, but in reality it was caused by hard working people.