Not Everything Happens for a Reason: Finding Peace in the Gray Areas of a Polarized World

Have you ever had something really awful happen to you or someone you love, and then hear someone say, Well, everything happens for a reason ? Maybe you’ve said it to yourself. And it helps. Until it doesn’t. This book is about finding a way to deal with life, somewhere between Everything Happens for a Reason , and Life sucks and then you die, with or without a belief in God. Extreme beliefs in either direction can tangle people up. And that’s what many people seem to do. Take a good idea too far, and you get tangled up. We all love easy answers. There are no easy answers. Popular culture has changed over my lifetime. I believe some popular beliefs have got it very wrong.This book is for those who may still believe in God but have difficulty reconciling some of those beliefs with what they hear from modern interpreters of Christian doctrine. It is also for those who have put their faith in New Age beliefs (especially the widely popular teachings of The Secret ). Finally, it is for those who can no longer believe in God, and who identify as agnostic or atheist.As a therapist I often hear, I just want to be happy . Here are the things that have helped me find some acceptance when life seems unfair, and some ways that can add more moments of happiness.