TRAGEDY - Prepare for Revival

Ambs on December 31, 2014 at 2:36 am

I think it only seems as though bad things happen to good people while not so good people have it relatively easy No one really knows about other people’s true goodness. I feel sometimes I catch bad breaks even though I’m a good person, but maybe I’m deluding myself. Perhaps I’m actually a self rightious pain in the ass! It’s all a matter of perspective and I guess good things happen to people who have the perfect blend of dedication, nerve, desire and luck…. A dash of good sense doesn’t hurt either.

Stephen W. on December 12, 2014 at 10:47 am

I think it has to be a chaos theory type situation. Bad things happen to good people all the time and bad people…well they run Halliburton. You might be dealt the Queen of Hearts or the Joker. Unless we are living past-life Karma which can be the only other explanation.

Caldera on December 10, 2014 at 11:06 am

Tragedy… Like death, it is a coincidence, though it is not as magnificent as death. The two come hand in hand; death comes first, tragedy comes second. Of course, there are other things that come hand-in-hand with tragedy; your house burns down, an earthquake destroys everything, disaster, destruction.The feeling of tragedy is a reaction to an event of change that destroys all happiness.

Brooke on December 6, 2014 at 12:50 am

Life it seems sometimes is here to test us. Our individual journey through life is what makes us, or sometimes breaks us. However I prefer my own idea of the ”sink or swim” theory. Usually I swim, sometimes I may need to doggy paddle, I hope I never sink…

Anonymous on December 5, 2014 at 2:42 pm

There are always parallel universes where we are happy. So don’t worry, be happy !

Anonymous on December 1, 2014 at 9:36 am

Who decides we are “good” and I don’t think it serves anything. We are human therefor we have tragedies.

Anonymous on December 1, 2014 at 9:09 am

Who decides we are good? Someone might think I am wonderful, someone else might think I am worthless. We live, we die that is the human tragedy. If we knew what the essence of life was there would be no more tragedy.

Anonymous on November 30, 2014 at 1:51 am

I used to believe that bad things happened to make us stronger and to teach us lessons about life. But, since my seven-year-old granddaughter died, I no longer believe that tragedy serves any good purpose. She had asthma but it was well under control and, on the night she died, she suffered an attack that came out of nowhere. Help arrived within minutes and the hospital was close by. In this day and age, why were they not able to save her? I am angry with the EMT’s, the hospital and especially God. He took the most loved member of our entire family, the very light of our lives, the most perfect and innocent soul and the one who brought us all together. Why?? There will never be an explanation, not even from God himself, that will ever be good enough! What will any of us learn from this except that we will never truly be happy again? We will not be made stronger. Instead, we will be more fearful and weak and emotionally fragile. I was brought up Catholic so my beliefs were pretty well ingrained…now I doubt everything. I want desperately to believe that she is in Heaven but, in order to believe that, I have to also believe in God. Yet I see and hear stories of people who abuse and kill their own children while those who love their children beyond words lose them through no fault of their own. What kind of God allows these kinds of things to happen? I can’t believe that the very essence of this child has just disappeared from existence without having gone SOMEWHERE else but I don’t know where. I now question everything I have believed in my entire life. I wish I had some answers.

Count Blazilmar aka doG ma on November 21, 2014 at 1:44 am

TRAGEDY is either proof of no God or proof of a very evil God? Take your pick!

Gayle G on November 20, 2014 at 6:58 am

I’m not sure tragedy serves a purpose. The tragedy in the world makes me question my fate. I’m not sure why people have to suffer, especially children.

pn on November 19, 2014 at 1:43 am

I think that it can humble you. It reminds you that you are not invinceable. Sometimes it teaches a lesson.

YY on November 18, 2014 at 10:07 pm

Tragedy happens to everyone because there is no force or entity directing it or any other happenstance otherwise. Tragedy is humbling.

Anonymous on November 18, 2014 at 3:43 am

Humans have no idea why bad things happen to good people but we certainly spend a lot of time railing against it. There is not a “just and loving” universe (or God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit) that cares about good people and punishes bad people. The universe doesn’t give a shit about humans, individually or collectively.

The only purpose I can think of that it might serve is to remind good people to live each day to the fullest. And when bad things happen, good people must pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and keep on truckin’.

Presumably, bad people don’t give a shit when bad things happen to them. Or they are getting what they deserve and that is the purpose it serves. Supposedly.

RAMONDA BRADY on November 17, 2014 at 9:28 pm

My tragedy, happened on August 7th,1986, when my son, 17,climbed an electrical tower. He went to a place to sit down, that is when field of electricity he was in struck him, and he fell 200 ft. His body hit the divider, and he was decapitated. His body was laying one place and his head another place. His friend told us.

His dog Roxie, laid next to him. It gets you in the gut, you never get over it, easier as years go by, he would be 45 had he lived. My husband made a commercial for Union Electric, telling other teenagers if you climb an electrical tower you will die. Yes my son loved Stephen King, especially SILVER BULLET.

REVIVAL, made me think of this tragedy, you cannot be around your kids 24 hours. What a great book on life, live a each day as it was your last. Oh how i hated GOD, WHY.

Anonymous on November 17, 2014 at 4:33 am

I have never experienced any kind of tragedy in my life except for the death of loved ones. This was a tragedy to me because these loved ones were no longer going to be around. However, I also knew that this tragedy would be over come and that death was just another means by which we physically come full circle.

Anonymous on November 16, 2014 at 10:10 pm

I have faced tragedy several times in my life. After I whine a bit, Why me? And throw a temper tantrum, Why @##%%@!! me. I look for the lessons that can be learned. There are always lessons….

Kathy on November 16, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Bad things happen to good people because there is sin in the world. Not always that the people it happens to are “sinners” (although we all are). Man walked away from God, not the other way around. I know that my God is totally in control, and I have learned that He does not owe me an answer. He answers my prayers in His time, and in His way. I trust Him completely to know what is best for me.

Anonymous on November 16, 2014 at 12:57 am

I have no idea why bad things happen to anyone, let alone good people. I have never been able to figure this out. I only trust that God has a reason; perhaps it is to show other people how to make it through difficult times? Like I said, no idea.

Robyn on November 15, 2014 at 10:31 pm

Tragedy is the worst possible outcome for you personally in your life. It’s also that sad story that evokes pity in others on the surface, but causes them to think, “Thank God it’s not me.”

Anonymous on November 15, 2014 at 12:59 pm

tragedy is putting all your faith in God or some other influence and not taking responsibility for your own actions.

Anonymous on November 14, 2014 at 10:19 pm

Mel Brooks — ‘Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

"relativity" theory on November 14, 2014 at 6:35 am

I am a religious Jewish young woman. I have always liked S. King’s books because they help me to deal with my own fears and pains and joys and mysteries. When I read his books, I feel as if he managed to put into words what I feel inside but have no ability to express. In my environment, however, reading books like S. King’s, is considered a pretty bad thing, something unholy, not to do. It is frowned upon and condemned. For my people, reading S.King is THE tragedy. Of course, I do it anyway -I read all of his books, some of them more than once! -, but I just do not tell anyone and I keep them for myself. This is just to say that bad and good, tragedy and g-dly things, can sometimes be very subjective issues.

SDM on November 14, 2014 at 1:55 am

I have faced a few major tragedies in my life. Being kidnapped, then gang raped, was a very hard experience to deal with in my early twenties, but I made it through with the help of my God. Having my only son die at the age of 25 unexpectedly was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life, yet again, my faith in God brought me through. God gave us a brain to use, so rather than sit back and wait for God to to perform some miracle, I used the resources He has provided me, with His divine guidance, I learned to cope with having to live the rest of my life without one of my babies. Not an easy feat, not something I would wish on my worst enemy.

Mike on November 13, 2014 at 6:58 pm

I believe very much in the Devil, because SOMEBODY’S out to get me. Whenever something truly unpleasant happens to me (whether caused by a person, or just plain LIFE), it always feels the same; the same atmosphere of hatred, the same spirit of ugly hopelessness. It’s strategic, too; whatever THING sends bad things my way seems to do so in a remarkably ordered and systematic routine. Like in wartime; generals fighting battles frequently describe being able to sense the nature of the mind opposing them; the tactics and thinking of the other general on the other side. That’s exactly how I feel about the devil, about tragedy caused by the devil. It’s intentional, it’s systematic, and it’s deliberate. And it’s always designed to inflict the maximum amount of suffering at the worst possible times.

Anonymous on November 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

I think bad shit just happens – I don’t think I seeks out the type of person – we just tend to notice it more when it happens to some people more than others. If say we like one person more than another we would notice their tragedy more than say someone we didn’t like or know as well. Tragedy is something we all experience, the only purpose would be to learn from those experiences and prevent further tragedy.

Clown696 on November 13, 2014 at 3:49 pm

I don’t drink alcoholic beverages, don’t smoke,l never did drugs. This is my cleanest personality. I am very nice but a lot of bad things happens to me . I just don’t know. I think they are supposed to make us stronger as time goes by.

Vern on November 13, 2014 at 10:36 am

I believe God uses tragedy in our lives to teach us something about Him and to strengthen our faith. Tragedy has a way of keeping us connected to God. Praise God in the midst of tragedies and He will bring joy and peace to your situation.

Anonymous on November 12, 2014 at 3:58 pm

Tragedy is having this book spoiled for you.

majic.6 on November 12, 2014 at 3:36 pm

Good things happen. Bad things happen. There’s balance in the world. Bad things don’t only happen to bad people. Think about all the drunk drivers that live, while the innocent person or family they hit die. Good things don’t only happen to good people. I consider myself a decent person so why did I have to bury my first child at one month old? I was mad at “God” for quite awhile before I literally woke up one day and accepted the reality that genetic birth defects have more to do with science than anything else. I don’t see any purpose served in his death. It is something very sad that just happened to happen to me, to my son.

Peg on November 12, 2014 at 3:32 pm

At some point in our lives we all must deal with tragedy. There is no possible way to avoid it. Some turn to religion, a support group of friends and family. These people tend to pull through. They come out the other side with scares, but they servive. Others, those maybe not as strong, turn to alcohol or drugs. Therein lies the real tragedy.

Anonymous on November 12, 2014 at 11:43 am

Generally speaking tragedy occurs when you don’t think about your actions or the actions of others. It is ignorance that creates tragedy, along with religion of course.

Brian Fooshee on November 12, 2014 at 10:31 am

Bad things happen because no one can go through life having nothing bad occur. They serve no real purpose other than to realize that it is the “circle of life” and that it will continue to happen. Allowing those things to mold and change us in whatever way they might, we will retain the experience and knowledge and hopefully come out of it a better person. Once again there is a side to everything that is not wholesome or desirable, but if we are inherently good we make the most of it and realize that we are blessed in so many other ways.

Anonymous on November 11, 2014 at 8:30 pm

Bad things can happen to anyone, good mediocre or bad, just as good things can happen to anyone. I have a very hard time accepting the loss of my son, it is hard to even think about even after many years. He had a very hard life but he tried hard to do well and was a good person. Good things happened to him and so did bad things. I accept life on its own terms which are do the best you can and accept all that comes your way; help others, accept help when needed.

Anonymous on November 11, 2014 at 5:44 pm

Using faith I believe that God doesn’t give us more than what we can handle. What He does give us in those times is the strength to accept what is and make us stronger in our love and commitment to Him.

Ray on November 11, 2014 at 2:51 pm

Why tragedy happens to us, I dont know. Ive heard that you grow and gain strength from it. But to watch grieving parents at grave side? I dont know how you grow and gain strength from that. I personally have gained wisdom from tragedy.

Anonymous on November 11, 2014 at 12:48 pm

Tragedy happens to all of us and I have no idea of why we must endure this but it is a part of being human. The only thing that I can think of which might be construed as a “why” is that it can force growth in the person who is experiencing the tragedy and in the other people who love and/or care for them. Sometimes tragic experiences change us into new people (for better or worse).

Anonymous on November 11, 2014 at 12:17 pm

I do not know how to place tragedy in a context that makes sense. If all things are random tragedy will happen to good and bad people equally. Reincarnation makes sense if trying to explain why good people have horrible things happen to them however I am not sold on the concept of past lives. If you believe living a good life takes you to Heaven which is the ultimate reward any tragedy in life can be managed. If there is a purpose I can only imagine it would to make humanity examine whatever the tragic event was and use it to live a better life and find ways to not let the same thing happen again to anyone else.

Thiago Pires dos Santos on November 10, 2014 at 4:40 pm

It serves no purpose at all, except for that which we give it.

Anonymous on November 10, 2014 at 2:49 pm

To millions worldwide Osama bin Laden was good people and to most everyone, getting shot twice through the head is a bad thing. So why did bin Laden take two in the forehead? Better question is why keep calling events “bad” (or “good”), and isn’t it better to stop judging who is “good” (or “bad”). Bad things happen to good people because you think they do. Fact is: shit happens.

Raphaela on November 10, 2014 at 1:40 pm

Some may survive a tragedy and become stronger the way that the scarred skin is thicker and tougher. Some others may survive, but not without having their hopes and faith shaken, and therefore disillusioned or forced to reinvent their ways. The rest might not survive at all.

Either way, tragedy is an agent of change. Nobody comes out of it unscathed.

Queenie on November 10, 2014 at 11:59 am

How else to test one’s Faith? The constant struggle of good versus evil. Tragedy reinvents our lives, our souls.

kingfamilyfan on November 10, 2014 at 11:31 am

Bad things happen because it is a part of life.Sometimes the bad things bring us closer to each other. Good and bad make us stronger ,better people.

Anonymous on November 10, 2014 at 8:41 am

Tragedy comes to all. The level of that tragedy is how the individual views it. One woman might see loss of personal possessions a tragedy, for another its the loss of a child. Tragedy is how we learn and grow.

I believe that our lives here are repeated over and over, as needed, to learn the lessons we must know to become what we must be, to move on to a new kind of existence. As we prepare to return and begin a new life we get to choose what lessons we wish to learn. So, it is our choice to experience “bad things” so we can understand why not to do them. I suppose in some way, it is this life here on earth that is Hell.

Brian Oldham on November 9, 2014 at 3:16 pm

A quote from the book the “Arena of God”. The angel said, “we don’t call this planet Earth.” He was asked what they do call it. The angel said, “We call it the Arena of God. There is a battle raging everyday for the souls of each person.”

There will always be this struggle between darkness and the Light. Every day. When people ask “Why can’t life be kind and loving and fair?” I answer them that would be Heaven. This is earth, the Arena of God.

Anonymous on November 9, 2014 at 12:32 pm

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Like everybody I have puzzled this one. I do think we perhaps come here with a blueprint or a life pattern from another time, and that we have the encounters we have to fulfil or develop that destiny. But the answer I think is only that we have to surrender to the mystery, because the rational mind is so limited , and does not know. The first thing is this acceptance of not knowing.
The next step is surrender to the mystery. Its not a concept its all life.

I don’t know why bad things happen to good people, sometimes I’m aware that forces of evil are devious, that the apparent safety of a person in settled circumstance, can like the magician with the sleigh of hand – show an apparent safety where none is. Evil, after all knows it must wear a mask.

The removal of these masks when the quarry is surrounded is typical of many such situations. How do good people find themselves then in such bad company? Evil stalks out naivety and the unguarded and even those who are guarded can sometimes have that sudden thing- where they are in the wrong place, find themselves in an unknown area due to circumstance and it can be simply opportunism.

Perhaps two races of men, one devoted to the hunt and the other innocent of the nature of predators.

What purpose does it serve?

If you survive bad things, (things that are natural events or supernatural events) you think about them and they serve you in your development. You have no choice but to develop from what you know from these experiences. You can’t ignore the hand that marks you destiny.

Lisa on November 8, 2014 at 9:15 pm

I have always believed that good and bad happens to everyone. I have tried to teach my children that if tragedy was not around us and with us we would never experience true happiness because it is only in the face of tragedy that we can understand true happiness.

Anonymous on November 8, 2014 at 8:00 am

That which does not kill you leaves you open to secondary infection.

chris20141107 on November 8, 2014 at 6:10 am

life is a purposeless horrible tragedy

synwave7 on November 8, 2014 at 12:48 am

TRAGEDY is all around us and often is in the eye of the beholder. What I call tragic someone else may consider OK. Tragedy is this two ton heavy thing I carry in my heart since my son died from a heroin overdose last year. Tragic is my reaction to his death, I often feel I cannot go on. There is a constant numbing pain with me now. It becomes so heavy I feel like it has simply broken me, broken my soul. And now I think of death and how it has destroyed me. Like its a heavy foe to some day get revenge on. I want to kill death as if doing so if such a thing were possible it would no longer have power over me. But death, time, taxes, cannot really be cheated. All this despite having faith that something greater than myself is helping me to survive when I feel there is no hope. And my younger son such a beautiful boy whom I love more than any words can describe. He is going down the dark path now and I’m helpless to stop him. So, I think of death a lot and I feel it’s grip on my soul, my love for my son, it’s everywhere I turn. Then my grandson is born and at last I think death has moved away from me for now and the two ton heavy thing is a bit lighter when I see him smile and his laughter crushes me and I am lifted up by my faith by my love for him. Tragedy. I know a little bit about it and it’s everywhere all around us.

The Voice of Truth on November 7, 2014 at 10:20 pm

Why do bad things happen to good people? What purpose does it serve?

The inference behind these questions would be that there is a controlling force manipulating our individual lives to achieve some higher purpose. I would disagree with the premise of these questions. The questions suggest that God is manipulating circumstances as a means to a greater purpose in the end.
When I see bad things happen to good people it illuminates to me the fact that there is no god above us all keeping watch. Fate or happenchance; certain things occur in people’s lives for no reason other than one might say “the luck of the draw”. There is a heart wrenching TV commercial for a charity I see from time to time. It shows a number of young children in a cancer treatment center. Most are bald from chemotherapy treatments. What on earth did these young innocent children do to deserve such a fate? They have cancer by the simple luck of the draw of having been born with it. Would any of us if we had the power to cure cancer in children not do so? And yet most people believe there is an all-powerful holy god that sees all including children dying of cancer.
When I see young children with cancer I see no god at all. I see the unfortunate randomness of life.
The Voice of Truth

Anonymous on November 7, 2014 at 2:02 pm

I wish I understood why bad things happen to good people but I don’t. Maybe things happen to illustrate to the rest of us how fragile life is and that we need to focus on and appreciate what we have because it could be gone in a second. One minute my friend had a great marriage, two wonderful kids and a career he loved. Next minute he has terminal brain cancer and only 18 months. Don Henley said it best in New York Minute, “you find somebody to love you better hang on tooth and nail because the wolf is always at the door.”

Anonymous on November 7, 2014 at 12:58 pm

Perhaps tragedy happens to people because in a previous incarnation, they did unspeakable things that the soul must pay for. I cannot imagine any other reason why innocent children must endure so much pain in this world.

Anonymous on November 7, 2014 at 12:36 pm

Simply put, I believe humanity has ultimate free will. We are free to love, free to be apathetic, and free to hate. While fully acknowledging how awful some of the bad things in the world are, there could always be something worse. Good and bad are two ends of a spectrum that goes to infinity in each direction. Is there a purpose to tragedy? Probably not. There is, however, great opportunity to turn the pain that accompanies tragedy into something beautiful. It is up to us to give meaning to our suffering. Bad things happen to good people because the universe is indifferent to our individual lives. Furthermore, the interplay of all free agents in the universe is so extremely complex that it would be utterly impossible to try to anticipate tragedies and attempt to avoid them.

weevolvefromsheep on November 7, 2014 at 9:58 am

Bad things happen to good people because we can not control every damn thing. And you wouldn’t want to change that. It’s only true purpose is to remind us that some things are and always will be out of our control. Good wouldn’t be good without out knowing it’s opposite bad. Happy would be nothing without sad. You would feel numb inside and bored with out the ups and the downs that pull and push you. Restless and agitated. Only after experiencing suffering can you truly appreciate how incredible everything is that you have, no matter how small. Only after are you no longer a bored child and have played with fire and been burnt enough that you wouldn’t want to burn others any more. It’s the unexperienced who seek pain, the experienced who seek peace. But both are necessary. You can’t reach the second without the first. We all start off as animals, using the bathroom right on our selfs and screaming for attention the second we feel for anything. Have an urge and react. As humans we are better than that so we learn to control things and over come them to be stronger and make life more pleasant. The transition period takes understanding and that only happens through two kinds of pain, the pain we inflict and the pain that is inflicted onto us. We high light some pain and ignore others but every one of us has it the same and the best we can hope for is that we don’t do to much damage and that we are not to damaged when it’s our turn.

Anonymous on November 7, 2014 at 3:38 am

Technically, it’s to learn lessons and grow spiritually. That said, it doesn’t matter, you die, and in 20 years no one will remember who you even are. If you happen to be famous, when you die, people who never met you will make shit up about you and no one will be there to defend you or what really happened, so none of the Reason(s) matter nor do they make a difference or change things. Eventually history repeats itself because none of it matters.
Ultimately, the planet is negatively charged, made that way, and negativity is a perfect conduit for evil; that causes humans to be evil, behave like a virus, and pretend they are moral and righteous. If the planet’s atoms were positively charged instead, the planet could not sustain carbon – based lifeforms, so Stephen’s story “The End Of The Whole Mess” is not far from the truth. Change the atoms, end of humans.

Maz on November 7, 2014 at 2:02 am

Shit happens. Any explanation we come up with, any ‘reason’, is simply rationalisation. ‘I’m a good person, so how can this happen to me? Am I being taught a life lesson? Did I do something to someone, and now I’m paying for it?’

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person (and come on, that’s a relative judgment anyway) – something bad is going to happen to you, sometime in your life. How you deal with that is what matters.

Heather on November 6, 2014 at 8:54 pm

Well who can really say why bad things happen to good people. I’ve asked that question countless times. We all know life isn’t perfect and not everything can be planned. It’s a very moronic way to think if nothing bad will ever happen to you. The only way to deal with tragedy is the best way you can. You just have to do the best you can to rise up from it. And yes easier said then done but I believe I’ve had some tragedy and when you’ve been there it’s a bitch to get back.

Moth to the Flame on November 6, 2014 at 2:54 pm

Karma (if one has faith in such a thing) is an excellent explanation of why terrible things happen every day to good people. You did terrible things in a previous life & the wheel of Dharma turns & there you go-struck down in the prime of life because 100 years ago you were a thief & stole from others & beat your wife & children. You then are reborn again with a chance to get it right this time-our souls fluctuate in & out over & over as we either progress & become enlightened & better people or we don’t & we suffer terrible tragic events that others see as “Why did that happen to Uncle Joe? He was such a good person?” For me that is the only way tragedy can be seen as having a purpose-looking at it from a non faith based perspective is the butterfly effect-an event causes another event which continues rolling along then bam there’s a tragedy. Although I guess tragedy can be seen to have a purpose if it changes behavior-like you have a cousin who is a good guy but doesn’t wear his seat belt & he gets killed in an auto accident while on his way to church so then you & your entire family & congregation start wearing your seat belts. A very jaded way to look at why do bad things happen to good people & what purpose does it serve is a website getting a hundred million hits with a tabloid story of tragic events which in turn makes them even more wealthy & giant corporations clamoring to advertise on their site. Think about all the tabloids sold back in the day when Princess Diana was killed. I guess that’s a rather morbid way to look at it but it is true.

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 1:00 pm

I think tragedy strikes people so that you learn or gain something from that tragedy. I don’t think anyone who has gone through a tragedy no matter how big or small cannot say they didn’t learn or grow in some way shape or form because of that tragedy. Bad things happen to everyone not just GOOD or BAD people.

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

Simple. bad stuff happens. circle of life, for all things that exist. its the vegas odds that something tragic is going to happen to everyone. its not that you deserve it or not, or that its karma or some other shit.

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 6:06 am

I don’t really believe that tragedy serves a purpose… I think this is something we try to believe to reassure ourselves, because the alternative, that everything is random and that no matter what you have no control whatsoever over things in your life is far too terrifying…

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 4:04 am

Suddenly losing people in my, and my groom’s, life right and left these days. People we love are in hospital and gravely ill. The way my parents left the planet, many moons ago, really sucked. WTF is God thinking???????? Okay…so I figured out that we Must have opposites. Good to know bad. Sorrow to know happiness. Bad health to be grateful for good health. Gratitude. If it weren’t for tragedy…would we know what gratitude is???

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 2:16 am

Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people- it’s a fact of life. I don’t think there is any plan or script for it, I just try to appreciate the good things and tell myself without trials in life we would never celebrate the positive. The bad shit will make you stronger or break you…..you decide.

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 1:54 am

Tragedy just happens, no one person is more undeserving of suffering it than another. When we face it and survive it we truly do become stronger and it also serves as a reminder of our mortality and how truly precious life is……….

Anonymous on November 6, 2014 at 1:08 am

I used to ask myself that question. Then I’d get mad when people would say “It’s God’s will” or “Everything happens for a reason”. Fuck that. So my dad and mom abusing my brother and I was God’s will? My brother dying from a drug overdose happened for a reason. Screw that idea.
I don’t think God has control over anything that happens.
You ask who do bad things happen to bad people? I think they happen just because they can. Just like how good things happen to good people. Shit happens.

LWS on November 5, 2014 at 11:25 pm

Why indeed? And why do good things happen to bad people?

Life is harsh which is why sharing it with others is so important.

cat on November 5, 2014 at 11:24 pm

There is no purpose, only acceptance.

“There Is No Time, No End, No Today, No Yesterday, No Tomorrow, Only the Forever, and Forever and Forever without End” – Ivan Albright

Josh WM on November 5, 2014 at 10:36 pm

Tragedy in life is a necessary experience to go through. As the name suggests it is always tragic and hard to deal with; but a tragedy helps one learn how to cope with trials, tribulations, and pain.
Without tragedy a person cannot fully become who they must be – whomever that is – it helps shape us.

Tragedy may also trigger a transformation, for better or for worse. Tragedy can cause a person to undergo changes; seek a better life, eat well, live active; or seek revenge, vandalize, or putting the law into one’s own hands.

BJM on November 5, 2014 at 8:18 pm

Bad things and good things happen to everyone.Its part of life.Its part of what shapes us as human beings.I come from a large family (11 siblings), so there has been a lot of tragedies in our family but there has also been a lot of good, Sometimes you’re the windshield sometimes you are the bug.

Spyder Van Zini on November 5, 2014 at 8:08 pm

Bad things happen to good people because they aren’t willing to cross some lines that bad people are. They can be ruthless and are capable of taking advantage of the kindness of others feeding off it, exploiting it, using it all up until there’s nothing left.

Tracie on November 5, 2014 at 4:11 pm

Bad things happen to really good people. I hate that about life. It goes against the sense of fairness in the world. I don’t have an answer to why it happens. I think sometimes we aren’t able to see the reason, but I do believe that there IS a reason.

Suz on November 5, 2014 at 3:54 pm

God does not cause bad things to happen. When someone dies in a car accident it is not because God wanted it. It was not “God’s Will”. Same thing with death from disease. We all have free will and live in an imperfect world that is why things happen.

G.R. on November 5, 2014 at 1:35 pm

For the same reason good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people: it’s the way it works. Let’s not forget that mankind invented the expressions “good” and “bad” – who’s to say for sure that bad is really bad? If something bad happens to a rapist it’s probably good news to most people. If a plane full of priests crashes, devil-worshippers will dance. But the devil-worshippers would think they’re right – they’d say a good thing happened! It’s complicated.

Anonymous on November 5, 2014 at 12:47 pm

I believe everything happens for a reason. I may not know what the reason is, but I try to trust that God knows what he is doing and that he will see me through it. Sometimes I get angry at God because awful things that happen are so unfair, but in the end I have to believe that there is a reason things happen the way they do.

Sorella Di Luna on November 5, 2014 at 12:32 pm

I like to take a word like “Tragedy” in a more subtle way. Yes, ao many people say you will grow with it. You will learn, get more mature, you will see things in a different way, and, yes the always said: Everything happens for a reason. Sure it does. How else would anything happen at all?
The Tragedy in me is just a tragedy, though.I didn´t learn, I didn´t grow and I didn´t become more mature. I am only sad. Sad and angry. Sad, angry and hopeless that it will ever be defeated by me and not the other way round. Tragedy is simply happening. And it steals parts of your life. And it makes you sad, angry and … yes… sometimes even unfair. So simple. And so … dirty.

Gary on November 5, 2014 at 10:46 am

Why do bad things happen to good people…because a guardian angel or God figure doesn’t exist maybe and its just what you’d expect to happen… logically. If bad things didn’t happen to good people then I’d be a bit suspicious something weird was going on… to me, that would make me wonder about someone watching over me and rewarding my good deeds. As it is…. I do lots of good things in life and bad things do happen to me…. That’s Life. **** happens.

Anonymous on November 5, 2014 at 9:40 am

Even when a tragedy doesn’t happen to you personally, it can shape your life. For instance, my 7 year old brother was hit and killed by a 19 year old driver (likely high) back in 1970. I was born in 1971. So while I did not experience the actual tragedy, the tragedy was my experience. The good and bad that came from it reverberated through the rest of my life. I was born because my mother was told by her doctor she needed another child to help take away the pain of loss. The bad: She has anxiety issues to this day. My then-12 and 13 year old siblings suffered from drug addiction and depression and my father suffered from guilt. The good: My parents were careful to make sure no harm came of me. My dad became a more loving father than he had been before. Our whole family became closer than it was before.

Jamieson Wolf on November 5, 2014 at 9:35 am

I think Tragedy shapes us. It may take time to heal from it, but eventually we learn to grow from it, if we can find our way out of the dark forest. It makes us stronger once we’re able to land on our own two feet again.

Nat on November 5, 2014 at 5:28 am

I think that everything that happens to us, the good and the bad, we used the experience to “grow” and mature. Maybe some people need to mature than others That said, the bad doesn’t happen only to good people. Everyone is entitled to his share.

Josh on November 5, 2014 at 12:32 am

Free will. It’s part of the package.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 11:28 pm

Or as Denis Leary once said: “Life sucks, get a helmet.”

Waterford on November 4, 2014 at 11:22 pm

Bad things happen to everyone. These are opportunities for us to rise up, meet a challenge, find a way, learn something, and grow towards enlightenment. I believe this is why we are here. I believe that’s why we have vulnerable bodies and free will. Crisis promotes growth. A grain of sand stuck in an oyster becomes a pearl after the oyster deposits layers of shell over the irritating sand grain. I also believe that bad things just happen. Sometimes they are things that are within our control to cause or prevent, sometimes they are not. I believe everything that exists is connected, and everything that happens, good and bad, is cause and effect – explainable scientifically, that that this is not personal, but sometimes, just the way the wheel turns and the cogs go together. I mean, sometimes the comets and stuff out in space just hit each other by accident! Sometimes there is something good that can be gleaned from it, sometimes not. Each person suffers, and each person has their own understanding what is tragic. For me, tragedy is suffering of any kind for no good purpose. That is not balance. That is not just. It is, however, always an opportunity for growth. (I don’t dig it any more than you do.)

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 10:46 pm

Things just happen. There is no such thing as a divine plan. I hate the phrase “Everything happens for a reason.” It is such a banal platitude. Things may happen for a reason, but that doesn’t mean the reason is good. If a child starves in a famine because corrupt politicians stole foreign aid, the child’s death happened for a reason, but it wasn’t a good reason. I would like “Everything happens for a reason” to be banned forever.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Life happens. Bad things happen to bad people too and wonderful things happen to good people and bad ones. Life is hard and brutal at times and we live on a dangerous planet in a dangerous universe. Rather than asking “Why me?” ask “Why not me? What makes me so special that this should skip me and touch someone else?” You get to accept the good with the bad and be grateful to still be moving air.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 9:04 pm

You always hear about the war of good vs. evil. I think when bad things happen, that’s when evil wins. But it takes dark times to make you realize how good the good times are. It’s time like those that cause you to reach out to a higher power, because whatever is happening is something you can’t handle alone. Whether you believe in God, Buddha, the power within you, or use drugs, alcohol, etc as a crutch, the purpose of bad things happening is to make you stronger and more grateful for the good parts of life.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 8:29 pm

Why? Why Not? Bad things happen to everybody. Personally, I have lost a child, have had another child diagnosed with a serious brain condition, had another child attempt suicide, lost a house to a tornado and I am only 69. If I examine the rules of nature, it should not surprise me if bad things happen. If I accept them for what they are, I remain pretty sane (and can be helpful to others). Acceptance does not mean I have to like it when bad things happen, but it seems pretty presumptuous 1) to assume that I am a good person and 2) if I am, to assume that bad things won’t happen.

GreenQueen on November 4, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Bad things happen to all people, good or bad. And personally, I don’t think that there necessarily is a purpose. Sometimes, maybe, but not as a general rule. Sh*t happens as they say…

Sherol on November 4, 2014 at 8:05 pm

When my niece died 2 years ago from brain cancer at 23, my sister said if one more person told her it happened for a reason she was going to kill them. I’m a Christian but I have difficulty rapping my brain around why God let’s stuff like that happen.

inkartchick on November 4, 2014 at 7:45 pm

You can say it strengthens a person and makes them stronger. Having been through my own tragedy I strongly disagree. I’m far less appealing a person than I was prior to its happening.

Jessie. on November 4, 2014 at 6:37 pm

I try to lead a life with purpose, and while I may falter at times, the intent is there. I strive to live my values, not when it is convenient, but at all times. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to leave me exempt from tragedy. And while tragedy may take many forms, it has a lasting effect on the individual. Leaves a residue. An imprint that can sometimes be blatant and outright, and in others subtle, underlying, and yet crippling. I struggle with tragedy. Not simply during and immediately after, but on-going. And I often wonder when it will end… if ever.

Michele on November 4, 2014 at 6:36 pm

Because this world exists to try us and perfect us for the next one.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 5:55 pm

Tragedy happens all the time. I like to think God has a reason, but I don’t know it. Maybe I was detained in traffic in order to give an ambulance with a heart attack a clear way to the hospital. Tragedy happens to everyone in ways that they don’t understand.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 5:13 pm

Free will allows bad things to happen to good people. There is no purpose and no one can stop it.

Deb on November 4, 2014 at 5:10 pm

I am a firm believer in karma,they may have been a bad person in a past life, we only see what people want us to see, how do we really know they are good?
As for purpose maybe it’s natures way of culling

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 5:09 pm

Tragedy just happens. It doesn’t matter if the person is bad or good, it is a part of this roller coaster called life. I believe that a person determines whether or not a particular tragedy serves a purpose. For some, it does nothing, for others it can ruin them. It can cause a break that they never recover from. However, the most impressive purpose, in my opinion, is when a person can suffer a tragedy and walk away from it stronger. The events of our lives shape who we are and who we become. Tragedy is included in this.

Faith Works on November 4, 2014 at 4:48 pm

Tragedy is self inflicted at times, and a result of false stepping. Mistakes happen and sometimes we escape from these mistakes. Why do some people focus on the tragedy of life, while others find the miracle? Some will be happy and some will choose not to be.

Have I been untouched from tragedy? Things are good now, but its tragic how much better they could be if I would focus on those things which are really important.

tragedy is a voice in the head that sings a sad song, listen to it and it can pull you in like the Sirens.

Tragedy is something I pray stays away from my doorstep. I am thankful for the blessings which I have not earned. I believe I am free to experience the world as I am. I am free from tragedy.

Lynn on November 4, 2014 at 3:11 pm

There is no “why”, it just is and it serves no purpose.

Elaine on November 4, 2014 at 2:06 pm

Bad things happen to good people because whoever is directing this thing called life – be it God, the Olympians, faceless leather headed aliens, or whatever – they have a sick sense of humor and enjoy seeing the suffering and pain people go through daily. There is no “plan”, no “fate”, just a roll of the dice somewhere we aren’t aware of. They roll a seven – someone gets good parents, can afford a good education, finds a life partner, has a few kids, and lives a happy long fulfilling life. Snakes eyes gets you abuse and addiction and pain and a lifetime of misery.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 12:48 pm

Bad things happen to all people, good or bad. It is a reality of life. I believe the purpose is for us to learn from those bad experiences and make the applicable changes to our our lives as we see fit.

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 11:22 am

Tragedy is something we have no control over

Anonymous on November 4, 2014 at 8:06 am

Nothing happens for a reason. It serves no purpose. We live in a world of chaos. It is life.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 11:39 pm

Everything happens for a reason, call it fate or karma, but it is ALL part of our destiny.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 10:49 pm

I believe everything happens for a reason rather it be good or bad and we are to learn from this.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 8:30 pm

Is it really tragedy, or just living life?

Nikita on November 3, 2014 at 3:29 pm

Tragedy is what life is. It starts with crying and ends with dying.

Lisa Spearman on November 3, 2014 at 2:08 pm

This is one of the biggest questions in life and is only known by God. Tragedy serves no purpose but does make you appreciate the things and people that you have in your life.

Carole on November 3, 2014 at 12:47 pm

I have always tried to live my life honestly, religiously and safely. Since birth bad things seem to find me. I was abused as a child but managed to overcome it and start a family. After many tragedies and struggles through the years I was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. Why was I born only to suffer so many hardships and then when I think my life is finally turning around I get hit with a death sentence?

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 11:42 am

Tragedy happens. Doesn’t matter if you’re good, bad or just plain evil.

We think it happens more to the good and innocent because we care more when they suffer.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 10:54 am

I have a friend who seems to be wrought with tragedy. Bad things happen to him all the time. I mean all the time. His girlfriend died of cancer. He has had two car wrecks in the last year or so. He has had numerous friends die unexpectedly. He fell down and wrecked his flat screen the other day in addition to several lamps. He was driving down the road at 50MPH and the hood of his car blew up and broke the windshield. I on the other hand have been pretty lucky throughout my 62 years. I escaped the Vietnam War because Richard M. Nixon ended the draft on my birthday in 1973. It was a Saturday. I had an appt. with the US Army induction center the following Monday morning. When I went in the military a few years later voluntarily, I accidently volunteered to learn a language and that led to a plum military assignment in beautiful Monterey, CA. I could have just as easily been assigned to chipping paint on a ship. The list goes on and on. I too have always wondered why horrible tragedies strike the most loving and deserving people. Just this morning I watched the Lauren Hill story on the news. College basketball player who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Google it if you are not familiar. There is no rhyme or reason for these tragedies. They just happen.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 9:33 am

Bad things happen to everyone. They usually teach us a valuable lesson, which may take a long time to figure out. They take you through the depths of despair and may test your faith. They’re a part of life, unfortunately, and everyone has different ways of dealing with them.

Tanesa Sanchez on November 3, 2014 at 1:57 am

Tragedy exist all around us and it seems to happen to those who are good natured and the bad people are the ones it seems with good karma. I sometimes wonder if it’s a test from God, but why would he give us tragedy only to make us hurt, I think not. I have no explanation to this phenom that causes so much heartbreak in our lives.

Anonymous on November 3, 2014 at 1:24 am

I don’t see what good it can serve. Tragedies happen all too often, and they suck.

Steve on November 2, 2014 at 3:09 pm

Tragedy, in my opinion, can be thought of in a similar way as can “forces of nature”. Tragedy exists, neither benevolent, sinister, nor benign, but just present. Some of us, as we live out life’s lottery, may never experience tragedy, while others may seem to have their numbers come up over and over again. Often it seems that some who experience tragedy are also often those who can somehow keep the most optimistic attitude. Christoper Reeve is one who comes to mind. Throughout his ordeal, he was able to, at least publicly, stay so incredibly positive. Often times, too, veterans who have been severely injured and/or traumatized have amazingly positive attitudes. I don’t really necessarily think tragedy serves any purpose, but it does test each of us. Some shrink under its unbearable weight, while others seem to grow ever stronger.

Emmett Glenn on November 2, 2014 at 9:08 am

Tragedy – or one’s definition of it – is happen-chance. Tragedy presupposes that there is no known cause leading up to it and, therefore, could not be foreseen by any means to prevent it. Being unexpected, tragedies simply occur. Yet, although tragedy’s cause has no rhyme or reason, those whose lives are affected by tragedy become inextricably bound by an insatiable desire to find a cause-and-effect link that is responsible for bringing about the tragedy. People are naturally driven to make sense out their world, their lives, and the events which take place in their lifetimes. Their imaginations will concoct a reason, even when that reason could not exist in the real world — or even when that reason stretches beyond the unreasonable and into the supernatural: “God sees all and punishes those who are sinful.” “He dabbled in the Black Arts.” “What goes around comes around.” “It’s the natural order of things: If you’re bad, bad things will happen to you.” In all events, the victims inevitably find a “logical” reason that prompted the tragedy. True, genuine tragedies have no cause. They simply happen.

Genuine tragedies are a far cry from manufactured tragedies disguised to appear genuine. The thousands of innocent (or unawares) victims of 911 were killed or maimed as a result of a deliberate, planned attack. Individually, each death can be viewed as a tragedy to his or her loved ones. Collectively, on one hand, all of the deaths following the assault on America can be viewed as tragic because none of the victims saw the attack coming. On the other hand, all of the deaths are the result of collateral damage caused during a horrific act of war upon the country of America. In the context of war, those who died should not be viewed as representatives of tragedy. Rather, they should be recognized as heroes who died for our country. They did not die in the context of genuine tragedy.

Tragedy, in the true sense of the word, is something that cannot be foreseen. By its own nature, a tragedy cannot be prevented. Even more, there is nothing to be learned from tragedy. What lesson is to be learned from past tragedies when a new one may strike at any moment?

Perhaps there is a single lesson to be learned about tragedy. They happen for no reason.

Anonymous on November 2, 2014 at 8:39 am

I do not believe there is a purpose in the tragedy itself. I do not believe the cosmos ‘decides’ to have awful things happen to person. But what comes out of tragedy is up to the person it happens to, they can survive and be of help to others or they can shut down and bow out. In the English language we do not have a word for a parent that has lost a child, it is such a horrific thought. But only a parent that has figured out how to go on from that loss can really understand and hep someone else survive that loss.

George Boerema on November 2, 2014 at 8:01 am

Shit Happens

Amber on November 2, 2014 at 12:56 am

A lot of people like to think that bad things happen to good people to make them stronger. What do they need to be stronger for? Some examples make sense to me. Like when someone good gets let go from their job because of downsizing. It’s a small tragedy, but it could lead to that person finding a job that is even better for them. Other examples I do not understand. I heard a story from someone about an acquaintance they had whose father suddenly died. Then two months later his mother got diagnosed with terminal cancer. On the way to his mother’s funeral his girlfriend, brother and sister were carpooling, got into a car accident and all died. What purpose could that serve in a person’s life? It’s those kind of stories that make me think that there is no greater purpose to each individual life. Lastly, I find it strange that tragedy can help creative people. I am a writer and I can use the tragedies I experience as a tool. Have you ever noticed that it seems that great artists in all forms of media have almost certainly had a great tragedy happen in their lives?

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 10:01 pm

Tragedy is the loss of something good we had. Nothing lasts forever, and we have many good things, so losing them is inevitable.

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 6:43 pm

I have not experienced true tragedy in my life, I see everyday people who do and I don’t know if I could face this….it seems there is more bad than good in the world today..always something to be wary of or afraid of….life is not simple anymore…I wish it was…

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 6:16 pm

I believe life is a school for our souls. We map everything that happens to us before we are born. Every event in our life we chose for our soul growth. And the growth of those around us. God is not here to save us when bad things happen. He reminds us of what waits for us when we are finished here and return home.

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 4:38 pm

Some tragedies can certainly be avoided but many are just accidents, and can happen to ANYONE. The real question is, how do you deal with the trajedy in your life? Do you close yourself off to protect yourself, become paranoid, or angry, or accept that things happen and live your life to the fullest?

S in AZ on November 1, 2014 at 4:04 pm

The above question has perplexed me for decades! Why do bad things happen to good people? I wish I had an answer for this. I consider myself a good person because I am not a liar, thief or mean to people or animals. I have had more than my share of “bad” things happen to me since I was a child. I try to keep things in perspective, but sometimes it is overwhelming. It is as if the world is playing bad tricks on me to see how much I can endure. I have had just about everything bad there is happen to me. From being sexually abused as a child, neglected, called bad names, beaten up, being lied to all my life, physical health problems, car accidents, cheated on, stolen from, unexpected deaths of loved ones, death of beloved animals and on and on. I guess the purpose of all the things in my life that are/were bad, was to make me stronger, but with that strength there is a price. I find it hard to trust, give love fully, and do not let many people into my life.

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Strength and wisdom are born from tragedy. Its purpose is to help us grow.

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 2:39 pm

There is always someone out there whose tragedy will outweigh ours. If we focus on helping those whose experience is worse, our tragedy will resolve itself.

Matt on November 1, 2014 at 1:46 pm

Who are “good” people?

e.n.o.o.n.e. on November 1, 2014 at 12:38 pm

zero equals two

tragedy, like comedy, is a function of storytelling
butt,
we never ask “why do funny things happen to boring people?”.

Bonnie, 65 on November 1, 2014 at 11:04 am

There’s no end to tragedy. We see it hour by hour, minute by minute – from every tiny corner of this world. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. No one is safe – no one. It can happen in an instant and it’s life changing and can’t be understood. I have to read the news all the time but I shouldn’t. It’s constant horrible things happening to ANYbody. Faithful people and those like myself who acknowledge the lack of any higher power. It’s all fate and I think, karma. This said, I don’t live my life in fear though I am as careful and try to make good decisions. But, I know it can hit me just like anyone else.

charla podany on November 1, 2014 at 7:07 am

That’s a good question. Who knows. I believe in god so I believe in the devil.

Dilligaf on November 1, 2014 at 5:47 am

The human race. What a beautiful world it would be without it!

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 5:38 am

It’s completely random. Illness, or some other uncontrollable outcome, doesn’t choose favourites. It’s even worse if you consider suffering in developing countries. Obviously, an entire country isn’t made of bad people, and an entire country isn’t full of good who need strengthening. It’s a matter of circumstance and coincidence.

Truth is, a lot of good things happen to bad people because they’re much more willing to take the opportunities. For the rich, as well, good things are more likely to happen because people ‘worship’ them. A lot of good, everyday people can be too modest to take an opportunity, while a narcissist wouldn’t hesitate. That’s not to say all successful people are narcissists, but I don’t doubt it’s more common in their population.

My younger sister had several strokes when she was a toddler, and has had learning difficulties, motor difficulties and epilepsy ever since. A Jehovah’s witness told my mother that it was punishment for her and my father’s sin in their past lives–which is wholly untrue and ridiculously cruel. If there’s a purpose, why permanently damage an innocent child’s life? It really hurt my mum at the time. I was too young to remember, but I still find it ridiculous. Luck is luck, and we’ve just been very unlucky on that front. I don’t believe there was an inherent meaning in it, even though it likely has made us stronger and more understanding. That’s to do with what we take from it, not why it happens.

Anonymous on November 1, 2014 at 1:06 am

What purpose? Life is fucked up & shit happens! It’s like the story of the Monkey’s Paw. Something bad happens & you hope & pray to get through it….and you DO!!!! And then something else happens as a reminder that you have no control over anything that happens.

Ckq on November 1, 2014 at 1:02 am

Tragedy is this very mundane moment.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 11:18 pm

Humanity is a whining child-bad things happen because that is the state of things-we are not the masters of all, we are all mere shadows “full of a sound and a fury, and signifying nothing”.We must realize this-though it may be harsh-but that is the import of the Stoics. Know that life is disagreeable, and you will not be alarmed or hurt when you stand in the shaded valley of death. For “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players”. We shall all revolve into darkness.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 10:03 pm

Tragedy is simply part of life. Bad things happen to both “good” and “bad” people — that’s just how it is.

Colleen on October 31, 2014 at 7:57 pm

I have no faith because to many bad things, tragedies, happen to good people. I think it only serves the bad people, or the “lucky” people.

Thomas on October 31, 2014 at 6:22 pm

Humanity does not have a “good” track record, but I believe people are capable of doing ethical acts. Conversely, people are also capable of doing horrific acts on anyone, anything, and themselves.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 6:03 pm

Bad things happen to all people. Be they good or bad. There is no “purpose.” Shit happens and how you choose to deal with the “bad thing” is what makes the difference.

Tammy on October 31, 2014 at 4:25 pm

Bad things happen to good people because we are free to make stupid mistakes, and those mistakes cause accidents. We pollute our environment and add growth hormones and chemicals to our food, and that causes disease. God weeps with us when bad things happen, but it is our choices that have led us to these bad things. What purpose they serve…getting through them makes us stronger and perhaps more reliant on God and our faith.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 3:53 pm

Tragedy , has challenged my faith and caused me to question the common memes regarding being in general . It has led me to a deeper understanding of evolution and humanity . It is part of the cycle , necessary for evolution

Mar cel on October 31, 2014 at 2:55 pm

My experience with tragedy was the discovery that my mother had a brain tumor . My mother was a strong person who left her abusive relationship with my father. She started fresh and went back to school to become a nurse in her thirties while raising 3 children on her own. She sacrificed so much for my brothers and I to have a good environment to grow up in. She finally in her fifties had her life in order and had the time to enjoy life and her grandchildren. When the doctors told her about the tumor she was optimistic and told me she would be back at work in 6 to 8 weeks. After the surgery to remove the tumor she had complication after complication resulting in her losing her eyesight and her short term memory. She now lives in a nursing home were she will reside until the end of her life. She requires round the clock care and forgets where she is and who we are. I love her very much and it breaks my heart to see her like this. Every time I bring my 1 year old daughter to see her it makes me sad that my daughter will never meet the vibrant strong and happy woman my mom was.
If you are reading this and your mom is healthy, tell her you love her and appreciate her because one day you won’t be able to

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 2:40 pm

Sin is in our world t stay … Until the return of Christ. Although God created a perfect world, He also gave his created beings freedom of choice. Without that freedom, love would not be love. Unfortunately, mankind chose sin and is now paying the price.

Ann on October 31, 2014 at 1:32 pm

To me there is a difference between bad and tragedy. Tragedy changes the dynamic of who the person was before the tragedy or if the tragedy takes a person’s life, it changes the dynamics of their family and friends. It is almost like tragedy changes the molecular makeup of all people involved.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 1:19 pm

“Bad” things, in the sense of things we don’t like, happen to ALL people, some obviously much more so than others. This is just part of the package of being human, and doesn’t need to serve any “purpose” other than that. Someone else said “There is no God to help us”. Well, there is certainly no God who is going to miraculously suspend the laws of physics in order to save us from having to endure pain, heartbreak, and eventual death. My experience has been that there is a God whose love will help us endure these experiences, and give us the wisdom to avoid inflicting unnecessary pain on others, if we are willing to open ourselves to receive this love.

Mike Matheson on October 31, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Bad things happen to us all, and that is certainly a fact that could go unsaid but would be universally agreed upon. I believe it is up to us to find the purpose behind every tragedy, not merely why it happened, but how it relates to my life. It will change me that is for sure, but only I can choose how I will be changed. I can choose bitterness, anger and rage which will act as a rotting cancer and slowly steal away any joy I ever had from life. The circumstance cannot be blamed.
I can choose to search out meaning and for this I believe in an all knowing, all powerful and loving God who never brings evil but could stop it in a heartbeat yet nevertheless chooses to allow it for his purposes which most often only he knows. If I embrace this, and allow him to be God, I find joy purpose and meaning.
I have suffered through family breakups, death and my own ongoing 24-7 physical pain. I have survived cancer which left its own life-changing collateral damage, and through it all I know whom I have believed in and trust him even more.

Susan on October 31, 2014 at 12:34 pm

Tragedies happen because the world is cursed – People say that if God were in control, bad things wouldn’t happen at all – But, in fact, God is not in control. He gave control to Adam who gave it up to Satan, who is the god of this world. That is why bad things happen to good people. God will help to either get you through or get over tragedy, but he is not responsible for it. Bad things happen and demons are real, whether you believe it or not.

Gordon on October 31, 2014 at 11:21 am

Tragedy tragic emotive words we use these to describe events that we don’t like and affect us in an adverse way. They are events we have no control over and don’t expect. So how do we deal with them get on with life and find a way round it. There is no God to help us if there was there would be no tragic events no starvation no floods no murderous bastards going into primary schools with guns etc. etc. We really do have only one life get it right or have faith in yourself , get it wrong just get on with it!!

cinderella on October 31, 2014 at 11:16 am

Bad things happen to good people because there is a balance of good and evil in the world and sometimes the balance is tipped and good people are affected. the purpose that is served by this happening is that it allows those with faith to gain strength from adversity. No one is promised sunshine and flowers everyday.

Lu on October 31, 2014 at 10:25 am

To me bad things happen to good people because it’s a natural function of the free will God gave us. Why He doesn’t step in to prevent bad things from happening, I don’t know. Sometimes the bad things can strengthen our faith in God but I do not see God using bad things as punishment. That would not be a loving God.

cjw on October 31, 2014 at 10:14 am

Our world is a strange and beautiful place. There is no reason behind tragedy, just living a full life will bring joy and sorrow. Both are essential parts of a life well lived

WODSlayer on October 31, 2014 at 10:07 am

All things happen for a reason. I think regardless of whether bad things are happening to you or good, at the end of the day it is how you respond and what you learn that matters. For instance, lets say you get brain cancer and suffer until your death 6 months later. What purpose does it serve? I don’t think as humans we can always see the big picture, but follow me here for a second. Lets say your child watched you suffer and it drove them to search for a cure. 30 years later, your suffering led to a cure for cancer.

StarChilde on October 31, 2014 at 9:54 am

Over the years I have had my share of bad things, so much so that I’m ready to say “Enough already Universe. It must be someone else’s turn now”.
Some of my bad shit:
Growing up with a physically abusive father.
Losing my second son to SIDS (cot/crib death).
Being diagnosed with diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia and most recently uterine cancer.
Watching Alzheimer’s steal away my Mother’s life, memory by memory, piece by piece, a little more each day.
Does all this serve a purpose? No. Sometimes it is simply a case of “Life is what it is”.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 9:40 am

I ask myself that same question every day. I try to live my life as best as I can and am very forgiving as well as giving, but there are those people that take advantage of that. I get caught in the middle by being a good person. I guess its sole purpose is to make good people aware that there are people who will take advantage of them. Also, when bad things happen to them, they should learn from it and come out stronger. That is the lesson that I learn every time something bad happens to me and I make sure that it does not happen again.

RedSoxFan1967 on October 31, 2014 at 8:46 am

We humans live on a world that is living and breathing in its own sense, with billions of other people, and many billions of other creatures and organisms. With all that activity taking place, bad things and good things are happening continuously. Great, I found a $10 bill on the ground. Sorry, I got hit by a car when I bent down to pick it up. The $10 bill didn’t decide to wait for a good person to pick it up. The car driver that killed me may be a living saint or a serial killer, it really doesn’t matter.
Bottom line:

Shit happens.

BT on October 31, 2014 at 8:33 am

Bad things happen so people can appreciate the good. Bad things affect everyone but without bad one can not appreciate all the good one has in life – regardless of how big or small the good is.

kohalakirk on October 31, 2014 at 5:09 am

Why do good things happen to bad people? I’m talking to you 1%! The idea of good or bad things or people is subjective. The purpose, if there is one, is how you live with it.

Anonymous on October 31, 2014 at 1:27 am

It’s all random. Good people are easier to take advantage of, so bad people are more likely to make bad things happen to them. A good person gets cancer it’s not because god has a plan, its because they were exposed to something that caused it, possibly completely by chance. Saintly old woman shot in a robbery? Wrong place, wrong time, not god calling her home to heaven. It’s all unfortunate, meaningless coincidence or the indirect result of arbitrary choices made in life.

deldergod on October 31, 2014 at 1:08 am

Tragedy is either due to Karma, or just bad luck. Take your pick.

Sue on October 31, 2014 at 1:07 am

Tragedy is the word to describe all of the negative aspects of life. The human brain seems hard wired to expound on tragedy. Psychology it has been proven that when you say – Do not go down that road; what our brains remembers is DO go down that road.
Tragedy is a sudden loss or pain that strikes us when we least expect it. It overwhelms us because it knocks the smile off of face. It hurts. It lingers. It cause us to lose sight of the positive things. Things happen to us everyday, but tragedy is interpreted differently to each human being.
I bought a house and after being in it for a year, while I was at work, there was a fire. The second and third story were destroyed. Yes it was a tragedy. BUT, my mom and children got out of the house. Our pets got out of the house. Insurance covered the damage and the house was restored.
I was goofing around one time and accidentally kicked a friend of mine in the butt. She fell down. turns out I caught her at the smallest bone in the hip and it broke. It was a tragedy, I felt horrible. We were both about 19. When they went to repair the hip bone they found that she had cancer and were able to catch it early enough that she recovered from it. A young girl was born with no legs. A tragedy, but she became a gymnast. A woman is paralyzed she creates beautifully painted original are work. A person I know lost a book and you would have thought that the world had ended and fire was raining on her head.
Yes tragedies happen. Some are demoralizing, some are blown out of proportion, some are very difficult to understand. I think that the more we love or respect something or someone, and some event in life afflicts them, we consider it more of a tragedy because we are also affected. If a brand new garage collapses it is a tragedy, but if that abandoned barn in the field falls over it is just another incident that happened.
When I consider a tragedy I think of things like the Challenger explosion; buildings that are abandoned and left to rot like the Opera House in Philadelphia; the loss of a child; abuse of an individual. Any senseless act that leaves someone or something to struggle to maintain their own level of self-respect and self-worth. Although many times those individuals are much stronger in the end many of us who have not experienced anything.

Joni on October 31, 2014 at 12:57 am

Tradegy will touch all of our lives at one point or another and we inevitably ask “why?” There is no reason. Bad things happen to good people for the same reason that good things happen to bad people. Things just happen.
The bad things either stem from random bad luck (e.g. car crash) or the cause of humans being evil to each other (e.g. murder). There is no greater purpose to this. It is simply something we must accept and if we make through to the other side then we try to learn from it; or if there is nothing to learn–just deal with it. What other choice is there?

Jeannie on October 31, 2014 at 12:34 am

I do not think there is an intentional purpose for any event good, bad, or indifferent. Life is a series of meaningless, random coincidences that serve no purpose that I can see. If I walk on an ant hill I may kill a specific bunch of ants, and others are untouched. There is nothing in my life experience to indicate if is anything other than pure dumb luck, random coincidence.

Kittens McTavish on October 31, 2014 at 12:22 am

There is no purpose to tragedy. It is not a living, thinking “thing” that skulks around seeking its next victim. A great deal of tragedy is preventable, which makes it all that more tragic. Even if mankind weren’t such shits and everyone decided tomorrow to stop raping, killing, torturing and what-have-you, there would still be tragedy in the form of natural disaster and disease.

Irony: Last month, one of my coworkers was expounding on the fact that our boss has had so many tragedies in her life (cancer, loss of a child, etc) because she’s a bad person and “karma” has a way of punishing the bad. That very night, he was taken to the hospital and had to have emergency surgery.

I never did ask him what “bad” thing he did to deserve that incarcerated hernia.

Indy on October 31, 2014 at 12:17 am

All people do bad things and most people have a good explanation for the things they have done. If you listen closely and try to put yourself in their shoes you can usually partly understand their actions. Horrible things and tragedies that seem random are harder to understand. This goes back to faith and the belief in a bigger picture that cannot be understood or even imagined. I suppose it could be called an “All things serve the beam” philosophy which allows us hope in an often tragic world.

LetUsVenture on October 30, 2014 at 11:15 pm

Everyone believes they are good. Most everyone portrays themselves to be good, but there is a dark side to every living person whether or not they recognize this or not. The key is keeping that dark place under check, or being brave enough to shed light on it.

Maybe tragedy serves it purpose by giving us contrast on life. It teaches us to appreciate what we have, and sadly, in the tragic loss of a loved one, it teaches us to be more open and (hopefully) loving to those left behind. It teaches us to looks for signs of trouble and unrest that may have gone unnoticed before so the same circumstance might be prevented later on. The lessons learned might be meant to propel us forward so we ourselves can be better, more appreciative, people for the rest of our lives

Skyler on October 30, 2014 at 10:56 pm

Tragedy shouldn’t be seen as something that has or even needs a purpose, it just is. It happens everywhere and to everyone, you can’t change that fact. If it is something that we as a whole can not change or modify, then does it really need a purpose? Should it be something we actually put time into thinking about?

We want to feel like we have an answer for everything, and when we don’t have an answer for something, we fear it. We fear tragedy with our lack of understanding of it. Maybe this is the purpose tragedy has, to keep us on edge, to remind us we are just fragile beings in this world we just happen to exist in. That we are in the end, nothing. If a random occurrence can destroy us, this tragedy, then we need to know there is nothing we can do about it. We must move on and continue living while we still can.

DrownedKing on October 30, 2014 at 10:50 pm

It’s odd because I have this urge that I bury deep inside, but I long for tragedy to happen to me. It will give me a purpose and it always seems that people band together to fight the grief. I thrive during tragedy. I’ve never actually told anyone this before.

Blair on October 30, 2014 at 10:47 pm

I don’t believe there is answer or purpose when tragedy strikes; I feel that it is totally random…

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 10:05 pm

Bad things happen to everyone move on and deal with it or let it crush you from the inside out or make a stand and move forward

JMMT on October 30, 2014 at 9:31 pm

Bad things happen to everyone, not just good people. It has no purpose; it just is.

Sue on October 30, 2014 at 9:28 pm

Tragedy serves no purpose. It’s just luck of the draw.

Angel on October 30, 2014 at 9:27 pm

Bad things happen everyday, it plays no favorites. Good things happen too. Sometimes it has no purpose but other times, perhaps it’s meant to end suffering if there’s no hope of recovery. There are bad people in the world and sometimes they take the most precious things from us too soon and in a horrible way. It’s an unfortunate part of life and all of us deal with it in a different way.

Bad things don’t happen because we deserve it, bad things happen because the evil in the world takes it from us and makes us think it’s our fault. Everything happens for a reason and sometimes those reasons don’t make sense or seem right but we don’t have a crystal ball that will tell us when it will happen and how we can prevent it.

Bill S on October 30, 2014 at 9:19 pm

My Mom passed away in 2010, I am still not dealing with it well. She was my best friend, especially after my brother got married. I don’t want to “get over it” but I want to deal with it.

Elvisbeer on October 30, 2014 at 9:05 pm

Bad things happen when opportunity contacts circumstance at an angle that creates a result. It’s not pure fate. We make decisions in our lives that expose us to potential bad consequences. We choose to expose because living means taking risks. No risk, no reward.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 8:36 pm

It’s all so subjective. What a tragedy is? Who is evil and who’s not? Tragedies happen all the time, all over the world and we often misjudge them and people to whom they happen. Often it’s the tragedies that makes us stronger or weaker. Turn is to better or worse people.

Shannon on October 30, 2014 at 8:28 pm

You have two choices when you deal with a tragedy. Just two. One, you let it win. Let it consume you and take over, or you pick up your pieces and you keep moving forward. A few years ago, I ended up wheelchair bound, almost had my foot amputated and was high off narcotics just to make the pain dull down, just a little. I still feel that physical pain every single day, but I taught myself how to walk again, kept pushing and I only need a cane when the weather is really bad or when I travel as a security blanket for the scary ‘what if’. A tragedy doesn’t care if you’re a good person or bad. You’ll still be torpedoed by it, no matter what you do to people…you have the choice though on how you let it effect you.

DaD on October 30, 2014 at 8:23 pm

Bad things happen to ALL people, good or bad. We only care when it happens to “good”people, and who gets to decide who is good or bad!

Sherri on October 30, 2014 at 8:13 pm

To spare them from something even more devastating or evil.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 8:12 pm

It serves no purpose other than to remind people that life is short and fragile and unfair. Cherish the good moments and realize there is most likely someone who has had it worse. That doesn’t make it any easier if you’re the one going through the grief but asking existential questions doesn’t help either. Instead of asking “why me?” ask “why not me?”. If you simply look at humans as animals who occupy space on earth, no individual is more special than anyone else. If there is a 1 in 10 chance of an unwanted outcome, there is absolutely no reason why you “should” be in the safety of the nine and not be the one. Asking why bad things happen to good people is 1) an egotistical worldview where you’ve deemed yourself or someone else “good” and therefore better than others and 2) admitting that you think it’s OK that bad things happen to anyone at all providing you can find something “wrong” with them.

danicus on October 30, 2014 at 8:02 pm

Bad things happen to good people, sometimes, and good things happen to bad people. Dick Cheney got a new heart. My little sister died of leukemia. What purpose does it serve? No known purpose to me. It just is. I look at all experience, including tragedy, as part of the human life-experience. What is it like to be human? Well, there is tragedy, certainly, but there is also love, which brings us through tragedy. Sometimes tragedy breaks people, but it sometimes makes them stronger. Tragedy is the hardest life test.

Just B on October 30, 2014 at 7:55 pm

Fate. Period. No ultimate purpose. It is what it is so suck it up, Buttercup, and move on.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:40 pm

Chaos. This is the root of the Universe. Bad Things happening is all about perception. We do not experience Bad Things that we are not capable of handling. Everything is connected to everyone. Our choices lead to good and bad things. The Universe tries very hard to keep us safe, if we just listen. The purpose, for me, is that it reminds me to make smarter choices. Everyday.
Bad Things allow people to change and grow. Even when they happen to other people.

Ms. J on October 30, 2014 at 7:33 pm

I don’t believe that God has put the earth into motion and then stepped back. I believe that He is involved in the day to day. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. Or why good things happen to bad people. The Bible says the rain falls on the just and unjust so I look at it like that. I do believe we live in a fallen world and that man is inherently evil. I do believe though that God can take a bad tragedy or situation and bring good things out of it.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:30 pm

Life happens and then we assign each event as “good” or “bad” according to how we perceive the effect. The beauty of humanity is that we are capable of turning past tragedy into present triumphs.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:25 pm

So many tragedies these days. School shootings, random murders, entire villages with no food and the list go on and on. I believe tragedy calls to us. For some it’s a call to kindness a need to help if only in a small way. To others it’s a call of a darker kind, a need to make a mark of evil. It’s free will at its most basic.

aegisalways on October 30, 2014 at 7:24 pm

Bad things happen to anyone and everyone because there is no purpose, no rhyme or reason. We notice more when bad things happen to good people because it doesn’t seem fair. There is no god, no grand conductor orchestrating the events in our lives, trying to teach us lessons and shit. Only our imaginations and fruitless obsession with assigning meaning to circumstances that have none. We are too goddamn self-involved and caught up in our meaningless nonsense while the world falls apart around us. Talk about tragedy. How tragic for the countless other species dying at our self-absorbed hands.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:23 pm

I never really new tragedy growing up besides losing a pet. But i knew someday everyone in my family would die, just not when or how. I remember laying in bed in my teens with my whole family still under one roof, thinking how we were all safe and warm in our beds and to hold on to that because someday that would change. In Dec of 2000 i lost my best buddy, my father when his plane crashed into the ocean and his body was never recovered. He was everything to me and my siblings, he included us in everything he did, he showed us we mattered and he loved us unconditionaly. I have never found another person like him in the world. A humble, quiet man who asked his kids their opinion and taught his girls n boy to fish, hunt, garden, build a house. He taught us the value of a daughter and to pay off your debts and then some so people respect you. For a long time i was in denial, but slowly spiraled into a deep depression. I would imagine the plane going down and his fear, i imagined him in the ocean, eyes open, hair waving in time with the ocean currents. I still cry every month, i still need him…i was never a faith based person despite a Christian upbringing, but now i am a pragmatic agnostic.
Most of all i miss my best buddy. I miss my father.

Valentine Aten on October 30, 2014 at 7:17 pm

Bad things can happen to anyone. Sometimes when we ignore the warnings going off in our head, when we are not paying attention to our surroundings, or when we take needless risks. If you learn nothing from what happens to you, then it was all for not. If you learn something from what happens or if you use what happened to help others, then you turn a negative into a positive experience and what you have survived becomes worth everything.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:12 pm

“Bad things” happen because at the root of civilization, we have always had evil bad thoughts. We have to train ourselves to keep them under control. We get enjoyment out of retribution and punishment. We are rebels at our core.

Mr.E on October 30, 2014 at 7:09 pm

Why do bad things happen to good people? We live in the Random. Anything can happen to anybody at any time. But if not for the bad. The tragedy. The doom and gloom. We would never know good times from bad. How would we?

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 7:02 pm

Tragedy is what happens to children in their childhood. It is a miracle for anyone to get through childhood unscathed.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:57 pm

Tragedy is a part the process of getting stronger.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:51 pm

My mother says that when bad things happen to good people it is part of God’s plan and God would not give us anything we couldn’t handle.
My mother is a devout Catholic. Not the preachy kind; rather, the quiet kind. It is her faith in God that has gotten her though losing my father, the love of her life, and my brother, her only son.
Hmmm, we now have faith tied to tragedy?

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:45 pm

Tragedy causes a turning point. Some people fall apart and never fully return to their normal selves. The lucky ones can plow ahead with a lesson learned and a new attitude.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:31 pm

The book of Job, (the most ancient book in the Bible), shows many bad things happening to a righteous person. Job kept asking God “Why me?” without ever wavering in his faith, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” In the end, God said to Job, “You’re not capable of understanding.” Jesus essentially said the same thing when he asked if the people believed that the Tower of Siloem had fallen and killed a bunch of people because they were more wicked then they were. The answer was “Nope.” God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust. We live in a fallen world. Shit happens.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Bad things happen to everyone. That’s it.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 6:03 pm

I feel that some people are born to be unlucky, and no matter what they do, bad things will always happen. I am amazed at people who can step into crap and come out smelling like a rose. As my dad said, we were born under the sign of the turd.

kittykittymowmow on October 30, 2014 at 6:02 pm

Bad things happen to good people because life is about dealing with the shit end of the stick. Nothing good ever happens to normal people unless you make it happen. Marriage is good because we believe it is. Children are good because we believe they are. Without experiencing tragedy, bad things, and misfortune, how can anyone know what the good is?

Nathaniel Hornblower on October 30, 2014 at 6:00 pm

I think we will never understand why bad things happen to good people. Some people even seem cursed. Maybe tragedy is a test of strength or some kind of cosmic experiment. Maybe after we die we will find out, maybe we won’t. God works in mysterious ways.

Lori on October 30, 2014 at 5:55 pm

To test the limits of our faith. The devil is busy do not let him take hold.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 5:54 pm

Things happen, good and bad, to good and bad people. Deal.

Lance on October 30, 2014 at 5:54 pm

As much as I loved my parents, whom I miss every minute of every day, the death of my cat, in my arms, hit me much harder. I loved my mom, & her last words to my older brother (I found out much later) were of me- she said, “Take care of Lance…” Hearing this later left me somewhat confused, did she think I couldn’t take care of myself? Our youngest brother, if anyone, was the one who seemed ill-equipped to handle the day-to-day pressures of this modern world. But now I think maybe in her last moments of life,
lying there in that hospital bed, she was seeing a future that nobody else could see coming. Who knew that I would end up the sick one of the family? Life can turn on a dime, it’s often said, and for me life took a sharp left that hot July night in 2012 when I scooped up my beloved, 20+ year old cat from the floor where he was floundering. I held him in my arms, he started to purr, just for a second, then went still in my arms. I was already starting the first stage of grief, I suppose; deep in denial & hoping it was a bad dream. My compadre, my constant companion, who was always by my side for over 20 years, was no more. I know that I somehow eventually put him in an undignified cardboard box & placed the box in my freezer until I could get him cremated, freaking out the whole time, but looking back I don’t know how I did that. He now resides in an urn on my fireplace mantle, but I can’t seem to remove his picture from my wallet. I tried, I really did, but it felt SO wrong I just had to put it back- is that bad? Now, about that sharp left… In Dec 2013 I contracted double pneumonia, & blood clots all over- particularly in my lungs, & legs. I nearly died. I spent 8 hours in a hospital emergency room, most of which was spent watching helplessly while they tried again & again to start an IV (I’m terribly needle-phobic, so this was truly a Stephen-King moment for me). I had such low blood pressure, (my hands & feet were black) they finally had to use the big vein in my groin. I spent a solid week in the ICU unit before it was safe to move me into a semi-private type room. After another week, they sent me home, but I’m now on oxygen, & I’ve cast aside that damn walker for a cane, but I still have very little lung capacity left. Pulmonary embolisms tend to do that, I’m told. Unable to work, I filed for unemployment, but after a long 6 months, I was turned down. I’ve reapplied of course, but the cases are backed up around 2 years; I’m going to lose my home to foreclosure. If I don’t get unemployment compensation soon, I see a homeless shelter, dead ahead. My life feels like an out-of-control avalanche, started by a little snowball, a solid white cat named Mr. Cat; all I can do now is grieve & know that he’s in a better place. Who says animals can’t go to heaven? I know he’s there waiting; God’s taking care of him & with His blessing, I’ll be with him soon enough. Miss you buddy.

Need

Sue Kessler on October 30, 2014 at 5:50 pm

Bad things happen. Good things happen. That is the way of the world.

Joel Peacock on October 30, 2014 at 5:47 pm

Bad things happen to all people. Tragedy is when it happens to someone you care about. Otherwise, it’s just an occurrence. Giving purpose to such an event implies there was a force behind it. Nonsense.

Chrissy on October 30, 2014 at 5:46 pm

Tragedy is the real force that makes you the person you turn out to be. I lost my dad as a volunteer firefighter in the line of duty when I was a teen. As much as it hurt, it made me stronger and what to be a person who helps others. Because of this, I always worked with children, eventually became a religion teacher in my church for special needs children, when I had children myself, I became a coach, scout leader, parent assistant in class, etc.. Eventually, I did join the fire department as an EMT, trying to make my dad proud!

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 5:45 pm

My personal philosophy is that if I don’t glean some good, somehow, out of a personal tragedy then it happened for nothing. I had a big bad thing happen when in my teens; it taught me that I can withstand most anything that tries to yank the rug from under my feet. Sometimes you have to twist the thing to make it work but I’d rather do that than sit weeping in a heap on the floor.

Robert Gray on October 30, 2014 at 5:11 pm

Just as people are defined more by their flaws than their strengths, so to is life given meaning and measure by the sadness and pain. We cannot know joy without the context of tragedy. There is no night without the day; the path to heaven is made interesting only by demons along the way.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 5:01 pm

There is no answer that will suffice, and one can go mad trying to figure it out. I think the only purpose tragedy serves is as a reminder that life is short, life is sweet, and life is priceless. You never know when you will take your last breath, so live and love while you’re here.

Blank on October 30, 2014 at 4:46 pm

I have no idea why bad things happen to good people and the purpose that it may serve – other than to believe that there IS a greater purpose; that things/events happen for a reason, like in a chain reaction. I believe that a “good person” may have an intentional meaning to something bad happening to them that will, ultimately, derive into someone else’s purpose.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 4:42 pm

Bad things happen to bad people too. I believe bad things happen because of choices we make. WE the human race. Choices made hundreds , thousands, tens of thousands of years ago are the building blocks for the things we experience today.

Invisible on October 30, 2014 at 4:30 pm

My only son took his own life. That was a tragedy. His was smart beyond the norm. His IQ was tested at 161, and while I feel IQ tests aren’t very valid, they give one a ballpark idea of smart/not smart. Because of that, he had trouble fitting into normal society. He (and I) could never brook idiots, and there are so many.
Nothing happens for only one reason. Every accident, every tragic event, is preceeded by a number of random events, that individually, have little or no impact, but these same event, happening together or in a particular order, will cause the crane to fall, or the bus to turn a corner and hit a pedestian, or the suicide to say, “Today is the day.”
There have been other bad things happen in my life, but they all pale in comparison to the loss of a child. My son was 33, he was still my baby.

Constant reader j on October 30, 2014 at 4:26 pm

Tragedy can be subjective. The loss of a pet for an elderly person with no family, the loss of a child for parents, to mass murder…all of these things can and are tragic. I don’t believe that bad things happen to good people exclusively. Even “bad” people have bad/good things happen. Again, it’s subjective. I believe that purpose can be found in it if you have faith. I myself have none, so I don’t believe that there is any purpose in the kind of suffering that is defined by tragedy.

Kay on October 30, 2014 at 4:22 pm

There is no answer to “why?” Most importantly, there is no answer to “why me?” Why not me/you/anyone? You just pick up your pieces and try to carry on with your life.

chaos-consultants on October 30, 2014 at 4:16 pm

I do not know tragedy. I know loss. I see tragedy. I try to avoid loss. I am influenced by those who have experienced tragedy. I try to support those who have experienced loss.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 4:04 pm

I believe tragedy is random – it’s not a test of strength, or faith, or virtue put forth by some higher being or one’s God. For some, it reshapes the self and everything that comes after is viewed through the lens of the tragic event. For others, it is insurmountable. Whether you allow it to re-form you or destroy you, depends on whether you view the world with a cup half empty or half full mentality. While tragedy is, well, tragic, it also can help people find a purpose, a meaning in life.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 3:43 pm

I wish to God I knew. Why do the good die young. Lost my sister when she was 20

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 3:35 pm

I believe Tragedy serves no purpose, but is merely unavoidable. So much has to go right to avoid tragedy, and in a world with so many variables, almost no one is spared the horrendous at some point in their lives. Many say one should ‘learn’ from tragedy, but though there might be lessons to be gleaned, the best you can hope for is to merely survive, somewhat intact. I would not look for meaning in tragedy, I would merely look for closure and solace. Because the only meaning of tragedy is: YOU ARE ALIVE, AND THIS COULD AND DID HAPPEN.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 3:15 pm

It serves no purpose other than for one to ask, “why do bad things always happen to good people?” And to piss us off.

Bill on October 30, 2014 at 3:08 pm

If bad things didn’t happen humans would never learn some of the most important life lessons.

AMH on October 30, 2014 at 2:51 pm

For me, the concept that any deity sends tragedy as a test of one’s faith or love is so off-putting, it was enough to turn me away from religion. It’s akin to an abusive spouse or parent.
How much do you love Me? If I kill your child will you still love Me?
If I send you a terminal disease will you still love Me? Will you?
How much do you love Me? If I send you one misery after another, even though you send Me messages begging for help [prayer] on a daily basis and I give you tragedy instead, will you still love Me? Prove it. I have control over you but I’m more insecure than you are. I need constant reassurance.
I’ve told you how much I love you, now I want to see how much you love Me. I’m going to break your spirit, wound your heart, crush your hopes. Do you still love Me? Do you? I’m testing you because I want to know how much you’ll take from Me and keep coming back for more. Sometimes I’m kind, so I can lull you into a sense of relief and peace, and let you think that you have what people call free will. You can do as you choose. But you’d better not leave Me because I have something even worse planned for you if you do.
How much do you love Me?

Jay on October 30, 2014 at 2:45 pm

Bad things happen to everyone, not just to good people. Living on after a tragedy like the untimely death of a soulmate, is hard. It’s so hard. It tests your strength, maybe even makes you tougher – if that’s the purpose, I’d swap it for having him back, it was easy to be strong with him next to me.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 2:40 pm

Bad things happen because bad things happen. Maybe it’s a consequence of an individuals actions (not Karma but an A+B=C kinda thing) and maybe it’s just a random act. There’s no purpose, no teaching moment, just what is.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 2:37 pm

Bad things happen to everyone. Surviving a tragedy or going through it with grace makes us stronger people. I believe Tragedy helps us to appreciate all of the good things in life, all of the little things that make a difference that we some times don’t notice.

Missy on October 30, 2014 at 2:18 pm

Bad things don’t just happen to good people, they happen to all living creatures. The purpose of that is to make us stronger because what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger. Tragedy can birth all manner of good things if we just look past it to the outcome as opposed to just looking at the event itself.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 1:58 pm

There are no good people, that’s the problem. Tragedy happens indiscriminately because all of us in our hearts are monsters.

Violet on October 30, 2014 at 1:55 pm

Not everything has a purpose. Things just happen. That’s all. Good things happen. Bad things happen. If I am wrong and there is a purpose, I don’t think it’s anything that we would ever be able to perceive.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 1:42 pm

Random results..

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 1:40 pm

Tragedy is something beyond explanation. When a child dies of cancer – that is a tragedy. We look for ways to make something out of this tragedy – setting up a charity or fighting for a cure, but in the end their is nothing that tells us why my child. I don’t believe it builds character, I think we all just find ways to get past it.

Michelle Rene on October 30, 2014 at 1:29 pm

I believe tragedy builds character and makes us thankful for the good things in life. Without tragedy how would we appreciate the positive? My grandmother was orphaned at 12, buried 2 sons and her husband was horribly injured in a car accident. She took care of him with a smile for the remainder of his life and I never once heard her complain. I remember going to her with a problem that I considered a tragedy at the time. Her words to me: “If you’re looking for sympathy it’s between SHIT & SYPHILLIS in the dictionary.” LOL

Rick on October 30, 2014 at 1:25 pm

I’m not sure you can truly answer the first part of this question. Bad things happen to all people (good or bad). It’s just called “life”. The purpose is to make you a better person. Stronger, humbler, and better able to deal with anything thrown at you (assuming you make it out the other side from the initial tragedy).

Mr. Gump on October 30, 2014 at 1:21 pm

Life is like a box of Chocolates

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 1:20 pm

When bad things happen to good people it is quite possibly because the universe is chaotic. It’s down to chance. I’m not sure about it serving a purpose, but the individual(s) affected by the bad event can choose how they wish to deal with it.

Thomas on October 30, 2014 at 12:55 pm

Tragedy is part of life. Most times such tragedies are beyond our control although sometimes our own actions can directly result in a tragedy. In such cases we should be willing to accept responsibility for those actions. For all other tragedies which befall us we must learn to accept them as part of the life cycle and move on. There is no force singling any one person out with the intentions of showering them with tragedies. They just happen. How we deal with them defines the type of people we are.

Win McManus on October 30, 2014 at 12:49 pm

Shit happens. x

Jeff on October 30, 2014 at 12:46 pm

Things happen to people. Where ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fit in there depends on your point of view and your definitions of what is good and what is bad.

There’s no purpose. What purpose does water have when it’s rushing downhill? What purpose does the moon have when it shines down on the earth? Not everything has a purpose, or a reason or an excuse.

flower thumper on October 30, 2014 at 11:51 am

For a start, asking ‘why’ is a pointless waste of time. I can guarantee if you could ask someone ‘why’ eg “Why did you stay?”, the answer will never be a revelation, it won’t be satisfying, just the opposite. Life is a series of tragedies from birth, all there to make us the person we ultimately become. Bad things happen to everyone, they have to to open your heart, harden your heart, let you feel the whole range of emotions that we can feel. If we didn’t go through that broad spectrum of ‘bad things’ we would never know from what depths we could rise from.

Angie on October 30, 2014 at 11:47 am

I guess you need to define “bad things” and “good people” for me to truly answer these questions. Life happens to people, not simply good or bad things – it is like a rollecoaster. I don’t believe there are truly good or bad people – there are just people. Sane, crazy, mean, gentle – all label of behavior that people can experience in there life. Everyone is a little messed up somehow – some more than others. So when unfortunate events occur to people, I think some survive and learn, while others may not be able to handle it.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 11:13 am

Tragedy happens to everyone and is relative to each person’s experience. It does not distinguish between “good” and “bad” people, which is also relative to each person.

Robert on October 30, 2014 at 9:00 am

Let’s clear this up; bad things happen to everyone. The “I’m a good person” lament is a load of self-pitying garbage. Says who? Who are you to claim you’re a ‘good’ person? Even Hitler thought he was doing the right thing.

Tragedy defines us, particularly how we deal with it and more importantly, how we conduct ourselves through it. It also teaches us the meaning and appreciation of things we often take for granted.

Years back I was stranded in India during a natural disaster in which thousands died…I never thought I’d be as happy as I was to finally, physically walk through the door of my home. Something that simple.

caroline woods on October 30, 2014 at 8:46 am

I think tragedy is just random chaos, there is no apparent reasoning behind it

Nora on October 30, 2014 at 8:14 am

Nothing from “The Shack” to “Man’s Search for Meaning” adequately explains tragedy. I don’t know.

Anonymous on October 30, 2014 at 12:57 am

I think bad things happen to good people in order to make us stronger. If there is some higher power guiding us all, preparing us for whatever comes next, then the things that happen in our lives are definitely meant to be learning experiences. Or they could just be random crap that happens. Who knows?

vlm on October 30, 2014 at 12:47 am

Things happen, life goes on or doesn’t. Life gives you lemons, you either make lemonade or become a sour puss.

onemorepage on October 29, 2014 at 10:48 pm

Bad things happening are just random. It serves no purpose. I hear religious people saying that God doesn’t give you more in life than you can bear. That just makes no sense to me. You either bear what has happened, or you pull a Robin Williams.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 10:21 pm

Tragedy is just a facet of life. I don’t believe that anyone makes it through untouched by a tragic event. You can choose to deny that a tragedy has occurred, but the universe will always eventually force you to accept that which has happened and grow or succumb to grief and fade away…

cs601 on October 29, 2014 at 10:10 pm

I believe tragedy is a test. We either pass or fail. Passing means to cope and not get lost in your sadness, although this may take some time after a tragic event. To fail would be to shut everything out except this event. Failing is easy. Passing the test means hurting but being able to function for yourself and others. I was determined to pass the test after the death of my son when he was just 24.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:38 pm

A person only need look at Mother Nature to understand that tragedy has no malicious trajectory. Does the elk deserve to become prey to the wolf? No. People “humanize” tragedy as if it is a phantom, seeking to find the sweetest, most honest, and finest of us, to terrorize. The truth is it strikes us all: the good, the bad, the elk, and the wolf.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 8:52 pm

My belief is that tragedy is something we planned to have occur in this lifetime in order to help us learn all we need to learn. Others, when we are on the other side, will also benefit from the experience we bring.

CDH on October 29, 2014 at 8:07 pm

There is good and bad in the world…and though it does sometimes seem that bad only happens to good people, that’s simply not true. Good and bad happen to everyone, and I don’t think it serves any purpose, except for maybe purpose itself. Good and bad just are, and each must exist for the other.
Tragedy is just that, tragic. I hate it, but it is necessary. And as selfish as it is, I hope and pray that tragedy avoids my family, friends and I, while at the same time, I don’t wish it on others either. But tragedy is out there, circling like vultures, waiting to swoop down…

J on October 29, 2014 at 7:50 pm

What is “bad” or “good” is based on perception. Events happen the way they do simply because it is the nature of all things. Duality exists everywhere. What one person may view as a bad event could be viewed as good for another.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 7:48 pm

We were all created equal in God’s eyes. Therefore, God does not play favorites. We all were given free will. What we do in response to the crises in our lives depends on how we choose to use that free will.
If you have faith, God will see you through it. If you don’t believe in God then your free will choice might be destructive or vindictive.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 7:42 pm

Tragedy (pain, suffering and injustice) is Life’s tempering of our “steel”. Depending on how we respond, tragedy shapes us into the being we ultimately become. Good, bad, weak or strong. Our choice. Tragedy is a part of life. For everyone. “Good people” are good because their character stands up to the “slings and arrows” that life throws at us.

me on October 29, 2014 at 7:14 pm

Tragedy is the outcome and consequence of something bad e.g. a fatal accident or death of a child.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 6:54 pm

What is your definition of “good”. Bad things happen. Wrong place wrong time, fate, what ever. They don’t just happen to good people its just that no one cares when they happen to not so good people

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 6:19 pm

Yea… 911. Still messing me up over a decade later. To watch 2000+ people die in an hour or two.It serves no purpose but to scare the hell out of an entire planet. Like I said, its well over a decade later and I still deal with the pain on a daily if not hourly basis.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:55 pm

Stuff happens. It’s how we deal with it (or not) that is the true test.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:36 pm

I don’t think bad things come from God, I think He uses those things to make us stronger in our faith, as an example to others and an opportunity for us to turn to Him for peace and comfort.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:27 pm

Bad things happen to everyone, good or bad. That is just part of being alive.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:08 pm

I don’t think that bad things happen to good people, but that bad things happen to people. Yes, one of us might be more morally sound, or whatever you want to call it, but we are all people in the end. Why do bad things happen? I believe that it is God’s way of testing us to see if we will rely on Him and not on ourselves.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 4:30 pm

The most tragic thing that happened to me was falling in love with the wrong person. The man I loved ended up dying in a motorcycle accident a few days before my birthday, and I thought I would never be able to survive it. As it turns out, the only reason I found out that he had been cheating on me with multiple other women and two of them were pregnant was because he died and they started talking to me about it when someone invited them to his memorial service. I’m a good person, I know I am. I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t deserve happiness.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, even though his death was the most tragic thing I have ever experienced and probably ever will, it brought me home from a bad place. It brought me back to my family and helped me realize that, no matter how alone we may feel sometimes, there is always someone who wants to hear your story, who wants to help you through it. It may not be the most obvious person and this may not come when you need it most, but there are people in the world who want to love you and help you if you’ll give them a chance.

Amma Lullaby on October 29, 2014 at 4:26 pm

Why do bad things happen to Good People? Why not? The only answer I could ever find for watching the process of poisoning that chemotherapy is, being done on the innocent baby that was my grandson, as a cancer ran rampant through his blood – the very blood that also kept him alive – was “Why not us?” Oh sure, at first the question was “WHY US?” And as the weeks turned into months, the question became one that was more empowering; in a twisted sort of way. “WHY NOT US?” Tragedy came running from the table of the Mad Hatter, teacup in hand and offered up the special brew that more than some know. If you want to survive Tragedy, you’d better ask “Why not us?” As for it’s purpose: The purpose is to remind us that we are poised on a razor thin wire at all times in our lives, and we’d better have the abililty to tilt with the wind, because storms will come, and our balance will be tested.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 3:26 pm

Most tragedies tend to be acts of nature, those that are not can generally be traced back to wars and in that respect religion

the cynic on October 29, 2014 at 3:03 pm

My whole life, up till the age of 20 was a tragedy. Its turned me into a cynical, distrusting asshole. Trust no one, hope for the best but expect the worst. Thats the motto i live by. Tragedy isnt gonna strike everyone. Some people live their whole lives not having to deal with it. My dog died, my car broke down, even losing a loved one….thats not a tragedy. (unless they died in some horrific unsettling way). That happens to everyone. I’m talking about serious life changing events. Abused/ neglected as a child, parents divorced, father disappears and your mother turns into a slut,bringing home a different guy every night. Goes out drinking for days at a time and leaves their 9 yr old kid at home by themselves to watch his younger siblings. Thats just the tip of the tragedy iceberg…tragedy, REAL tragedy is gonna change a person. you can let it break you, or you can deal with it and move on. Why does it happen? who the hell knows, but its certainly not some divine intervention trying to teach us a lesson/punish us….

Seeker on October 29, 2014 at 2:24 pm

I think tragedy happens because deep down we all seek it… From that glimpse at a motor accident to watching it unfold on TV. We seek the emotional surge, the release from the mundane routine of our lives.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 2:23 pm

Sometimes cause and effect happen, without someone to blame. Victim blaming happens often, because we refuse to believe tragedy could be purposeless and Radom. Then the world would also be generally random and no good deed can save us. Shit happens.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 2:14 pm

Tragedy is simply part of Nature. All things are connected to all things, so when a tragedy strikes, it affects everyone involved for better or for worse. Losing a job might be the worst, most unthinkable tragedy you can imagine, but if losing that job moves you to a better place and eventually to your dream job, it has actually helped you.

Eleanor on October 29, 2014 at 2:05 pm

Bad things happen to everyone of us; did we learn from that experience or did we not is the question. While living our lives we are faced with many, many choices; we can expand our life experiences making us better persons, or not. It’s our choice.

Soda Pop on October 29, 2014 at 1:15 pm

Balance. Understanding. Lessons. Empathy. Contrast. Whatever is necessary for us to grow, someone else to grow.
If we do not let our children walk they will never fall.
Looking at tragedy as tragedy is a travesty. In the midst of it we are consumed on the other side we are stronger, balanced, empathetic, and grateful.

Lara on October 29, 2014 at 1:10 pm

Tragedy can be sometimes be avoided by making good decisions (check both ways before you cross the street), but sometimes it happens because of another human being’s bad decision. There is no “purpose” behind tragedy; it’s just life – random, chaotic and oftentimes beyond our personal control.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 12:27 pm

I don’t know if tragedies happen in order to test us or to make us stronger, but I know the tragedy I experienced at a relatively young age affected my life – and still does – deeply and profoundly. Fortunately, I never let the tragedy part of the experience dominate – that way lay madness and despair. I took a sort of pride in being able to survive, continue and thrive in spite of what had happened, my scars testimony not to the accident, but to the fact that it did not consume or conquer who I was or what I could be. Those scars are a symbol of survival, not of wounding. ““Scars are not injuries… A scar is a healing. After injury, a scar is what makes you whole.” ― China Miéville

DeeCee on October 29, 2014 at 12:16 pm

Wow, this is the toughest concept I have ever dealt with. I have no answers and doubt that I ever will. When I experienced a personal tragedy over 20 years ago, I delved into any book I could find that would give me peace and help me understand why something so awful happened to me. The closest I came were the books about Edgar Cayce, “The Sleeping Prophet”. I felt a “yes” moment when I read about karma, reincarnation and everything being connected. It made more sense to me than anything organized religion had to offer but I did start going to church regularly at that time and still do. In short, I believe that things that happen to you in this life come from wrongs you committed in this or a past life and you have to endure and learn from the bad things as you try to grow in your soul journey.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 12:03 pm

Tragedy happens because the world is not perfect. Some believe that it’s punishment for whatever reason, some believe that it’s a lesson of some sort….Personally, tragedy happens because we are alive. We can’t always control what happens to us (karma, punishment, etc.) but we can control how we react to it. To learn, grow, and develop as a person is to be alive and LIVE….not just exist.

Virren on October 29, 2014 at 11:44 am

I still think bad things happen to open you up for new experiences. Somewhat like Karma. Compared to what I’ve been through in my childhood and young-adult life and where I am now, it makes sense.
If I would’ve grown up in a loving, caring family I wouldn’t appreciate what I have with my husband now as much as I do. Sometimes the simplest things make me cry, just because it makes me so happy. Like coming home after work and seeing that he has bought me flowers.

Some people feel like “Why is it always me?” whenever something bad happens, and that can get you stuck. I feel like when you are able to break that cycle and overcome the bad things, you will feel so much better about the good things that you do have, even if they aren’t perfect.

Amethyst on October 29, 2014 at 11:43 am

Tragedy…in a broad sense, this word means to me an event, or series of events, that negatively impact a person’s life, causing turmoil and unwanted change. Bad things can happen to anyone; I just think that we humans feel more empathy towards the people we believe to be good. The purpose served is in how the effected people respond; which, I hope, is in a positive direction of growth and strength.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 11:40 am

Evil is a neutral thing. It doesn’t care whether you are a good person or a bad person, meaning that tragedy can strike good people and evil people alike, and it will be indifferent to either. It does not need a purpose.

fallen angel on October 29, 2014 at 11:36 am

Bad things happen to good people to teach them a lesson. So you don’t forget that life is short and you don’t take people and things for granted.

Rosane on October 29, 2014 at 11:33 am

Bad things only happen to teach. The human been think that can control everything ,there are no humility, when a tragedy happen, we get ourselves in our real places, and show us how fragile we are. When it happens to someone we consider as bad, we think is something like a world’s or god’s revenge, which it’s kinda hypocrite.

Carey Dolan on October 29, 2014 at 11:10 am

Tragedy sometimes happens as a result of choices we have made. We are given a great deal of freedom. We know the proper things to do, but choose not to do them. The result can be tragic. When bad things happen, it hopefully serves as a lesson.

Pandora on October 29, 2014 at 11:09 am

Tragedies are individual. What is tragic to some may roll off the backs of others. For example, the loss of a mother is generally viewed as tragic. My mother was cruel and distant. Why she died all I felt was a sense of relief. The tragedy for me was not her death but her life.

Joe Seer on October 29, 2014 at 10:56 am

This is the hardest concept of life to come to grasps with or understand fully. Why does ‘tragedy’ seem to be everywhere? Or happen to the ‘good’? Why do I have cancer when the pain the rear neighbor, smoking like a chimney, is in excellent health? Some believe that it is a ‘test’, that God is testing our ‘Faith’ (ironically). I don’t believe that God chooses to make life difficult for one person, and wonderful for another. Life happens – and for some it is more painfully (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc..) How each person responds to these ‘tragedies’ is the test of faith.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 10:36 am

To me, it was a tragedy when my sister died on the spot in a accident, she was very important to me… It toke me years to get over the pain and grief… All though I allways kept believing that death is not the end, it’s what we feel when we have to separate from the ones we love… Purpose? I don’t see one, but it has made me stronger, and family-bands are also stronger…

Andy on October 29, 2014 at 10:20 am

Bad things happen to good and bad people both, the test of a man/woman is in how you deal with them. Do you have the faith and the courage to face them head on or do you run from them, far and fast? Do you let them shape and strengthen you or break you and then use them as an excuse for your failures? You cannot forge steel without friction and you cannot take the measure of a man/woman if they haven’t experienced adversity.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 10:11 am

What does the word “bad” mean?… Some things that happens to us, we don’t like at all, but therefor it isn’t always “bad”… A purpose? Maybe we got to learn from it, trying to see how we can do better, or in witch way we can make it positive… To people who do us bad, try to think it’s their negativity and shut yourself off of them… ??

stt on October 29, 2014 at 10:08 am

Tragedy is a form of torture, delt out by the devil to weaken us from our faith

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 10:03 am

Everyone has experienced tragedy in one form or other. Whether its a personal impact or a broader one. My mom dying of cancer was tragic for me. Watching the twin towers blown up and lives lost,was tragic for the world.

Trashcan Man on October 29, 2014 at 10:00 am

Most the time when something bad happens to someone it’s something they did to cause it. When it comes to the shootings and tragedies like that. Most of the time it’s someone in the family or close to the person that missed the signs. I don’t believe in the whole good person bad person deal.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:49 am

Bad things do happen to everybody. However, some people do seem to reap more nastiness than they sow. Maybe it is a learning process to make us stronger. Maybe it’s payback for a previous life. The idea that we keep being reincarnated to learn from past mistakes and become better is an interesting one… but does that mean if you have lots of bad things happen this life, you were a bad person last time around? So next time do you get an easier ride? Maybe the key is not just the bad things happening but how you deal with them?

CdK on October 29, 2014 at 9:47 am

There is no tragedy, there is challenge.
If something happens there is a reason, a rational reason, if you search it closely.
Somethimes, the challenge is to find the reason.

(sorry for grammar, non-anglophone country)

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:43 am

Bad things happen to good people because nature doesn’t give a damn about good and evil. Everyone dies and goodness just put you into the line of fire first. Tragedy comes from the guilt of everyone the good ones shielded.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:36 am

Just to get stronger and to learn.

suzeeqew on October 29, 2014 at 9:21 am

i don’t think we always know the why…He does though.but i think everything happens for a reason.no one person can live here on earth and not touch the lives of everyone they come in contact with.so maybe,even though you dont know how,maybe your tragedy inspires someone else or changes someone else’s life for the better,or even yourself and your life?

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:17 am

There is no purpose to it. Bad things happen to everyone. Good things also happen to everyone. There’s no reasoning behind it. God, Allah, Yaweh, Shardik, etc. probably don’t mess in the human world much. They’re too busy holding the universe together and protecting the beams.

good_Lilith on October 29, 2014 at 9:12 am

Bad things happen to EVERYONE! I think it’s a misconception. Besides, most people on this world are good people, the assailed that ruin.everything are the minority, but alas, in this demonic system,.those major assailed are.the ones who rule.this world for now.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 9:01 am

Tragedy comes in many forms! A car accident, war, acts of nature, serial killer, drowning, cancer, fire, ALS, a sports injury, act of terrorism! Alzheimer’s is a tragedy – as a mind is stolen! Tragedy is a part of life – everyone is impacted by tragedy in one form or another! Everyone witnesses tragedy!

D on October 29, 2014 at 8:52 am

Tragedy-it cuts the soul and makes it bleed. Spiritual bleeding sets the mind on a different track. Which can be good or bad depending on where your heart is anchored.

truewonder on October 29, 2014 at 8:45 am

My honest answer is I don’t know fully, and may never know. My pondering still of what I cannot know for sure but acknowledge- Grief born of tragedy is it’s own teacher- the purpose it serves is up to the student. It taught me, although it took many years and tears- death isn’t as important as life is. An autopsy of sorts was performed by me after a tragedy- I had to dissect death. I had to get to the bottom of this thing as surely there had to be an answer to the whys…why a young soul, so full of life be taken when his beautiful mark was not fully cast on this world? Why, why, why….I think there are more questions than answers, and this question is one of those inexplicable wonderings.

Anon on October 29, 2014 at 8:43 am

Tragedy has no purpose. It’s a made up word that helps people give a name to instances that suck. It’s not a test. If it were a test, and if it were administered by a “god” to test its creations to see just how badly they want a shot at a glorious eternal existence and still hang on to “Faith”, then that is one cruel, malicious S.O.B.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 8:07 am

It’s humanity in essence…If our lives are devoid of tragedy we will not be able to appreciate the joy of life and the human experience. Joy can only come with the cost of suffering in life.

John on October 29, 2014 at 8:06 am

Tragedy. I have a passing acquaintance with tragedy. When I was fourteen, my brother was murdered by a serial killer named “XXXXX”. That was in 1974 and his murderer was given a life sentence because the death penalty had been struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1972. “XXXXXX” went on to kill another inmate seven years later, and was then given the death sentence in 1981, after the option had been reinstated by the court in ’76. Mr. “XXXXXX” remains on death row in Idaho to this day, having spent 40 years behind bars. I am not a proponent of the death penalty myself and feel that being in prison for such a long time is the worst punishment that could be given to someone, even a murderer. I have a little first hand knowledge on the subject since I had a bit of trouble when I was much younger and actually spent four and a half years in prison in Texas. My offense was possession of marijuana, and nothing violent, but I learned a few things while incarcerated, and am of the opinion that prisons are horrible places and a much worse punishment than death. The tragedies that have affected my life have taught me that life is precious and fleeting, and each day is a gift of immense value. My brush with the law was back in 1993, and I have led a crime free existence since then, and wake up thankful every day.

Jackie on October 29, 2014 at 7:58 am

Why they happen; I don’t know, but the purpose I think can only be to make you stronger. My mam and dad always said when something bad happened to me; God wit, woar da ge vur gespoart bent gebleven. What propably means in English; God only knows, what misery you didn’t get instead…

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 7:40 am

Lots and lots of tragedy in my live.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 7:34 am

bad things don’t just happen to you, they happen to you cause you’re a dumb ass. Red, on”That 70’s show”

Writer Z on October 29, 2014 at 7:10 am

“Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” This is a question that I think is impossible for one to answer. We have no way of knowing. I can only speak of the result. In my life, I have known tragedy. Two weeks before my ninth birthday, after he spent years battling two types of cancer, my father died. Upon this happening, my childhood adroitly ended, as I suddenly found myself contemplating questions of mortality and existence. In a very real way, an element of the innocence we feel as children was gone from me. I could no longer play with the same sense of reckless abandon as my peers. I used to watch my friends on the playground while thinking, They have yet to discover what it’s like: that the world has teeth, and it can bite you; that you can never return to being the person you were before a tragedy struck — that particular door is forever closed to you.

What came out of it? To what purpose? It made me realize how important it is to love those around you. You keep them close; you not only tell them you love them, you back up the words with actions. I was (and am) more aware than I used to be. The time you have with those whom you love is to be cherished. Though, too, you do live with the unease of losing others, because you understand just how quickly it can happen: that hole can be torn in the fabric of your world, leaving behind a hole like a wound that might scab over, but will never fully heal.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 7:04 am

Bad things happen to good people because bad things can happen to anyone. We don’t get preferential treatment based on our actions.
It shows us that our morals should be our own, because living by someone else’s won’t help you.
It shows us that we are the gods of our own existence, by showing us that our existence doesn’t matter.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 6:15 am

I think sometimes we need a tragedy to make is stop and think about how lucky we really are in life instead of wallowing in self pity as we often end up doing. You cannot stop things happening and to fret and stress about trivia does us no good at all. Live each day as if it’s your last. You’ll be right one day.

anon on October 29, 2014 at 5:58 am

Tragedy can be a defining moment in a person’s life and it rarely if ever affects just one person it’s all down to whether you can find the strength of character to be there to help the other people around you when it strikes or whether you rely on others to help you get through the situation.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:54 am

Time is a great healer..
Tragedy is that moment when time stands still and there seems to be no end or release from grief.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 5:22 am

There is no purpose it’s just life,

EJvS on October 29, 2014 at 5:21 am

When Bad Things happen to someone or something we think didn’t deserve it; that’s when we call it a tragedy. A tragedy, therefore, contains a judgement, for every time we call something a tragedy, we judge the victim to be undeserving of that fate. And each time we don’t say ‘tragedy’ when Bad Things Happen, we are saying, “they had it coming, they deserved it”. That is the real tragedy.

Elsa Mars on October 29, 2014 at 5:07 am

Funny you talk about purpose in your second question, because it precisely seems like a contradiction to me.
Bad things happen to good people because of Random.
There isn’t always a reason why things happen – sometimes there is, and chances are whatever bad things we do eventually hit us back, but think about earthquakes, fires, floods or diseases like cancer and everything… I think we always have something to learn from what may happen to us, but the thing is what we have to learn, we rarely choose.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 4:50 am

Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people? Why do bad things happen to bad people? Why do good things happen to good people? Who knows – it is all just life in it’s many and various faces. You are born – life happens – and then you die.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 4:37 am

It serves no purpose. It is just life happening to you while you are busy making plans. Lots of bad things happen to bad people too tho. It’s just they don’t get a spot on the 6 o’clock news and a 3 page write up in the paper because no one cares when drug addicts die, or a rapist is stabbed. We only care when a church going father of 7 is hit by a drunk driver.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 4:21 am

Things happen to people. I think we put labels on whether they are good or bad. A lot of parts of life stink

Michael on October 29, 2014 at 4:08 am

I have known tragedy in my life and it is subjective by infinite degrees – being an existential nihilist however, anguish loses its flavour in favour of licorice or a skinned knee…

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 3:58 am

Bad things happen to everyone, good or bad. There is no system we just notice more when something bad happens to someone good because we feel it’s unfair.

fates evil sister on October 29, 2014 at 3:43 am

setting yourself up for misery then knowing its outcome is true, the final realization is that your the tragedy

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 3:22 am

Bad things don’t just happen to good people but to everyone. To think so is to be egotistical. The only purpose it serves differ according to a person’s perception eg. some might think it as a punishment, a lesson, etc

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 2:58 am

I see tragedy as a kind of a trade-off. Good things happen to bad people, but in the end, the bad outweighs the good, and eventually catches up. When bad things happen to good people, however, it is a reminder that goodness, in and of itself, cannot protect us from bad things happening. Tragedy is our way of being able to tell the difference between good and bad.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 2:37 am

my life is the tragedy,when i was 16 my dad killed himself,…..i knew what he was doing in the garage,i knew why the car was running..i knew,and later on i went out and turned the car off,i believe i killed my father,noone has been able to convince me different,not the cops,nor my family or my shrink.im 39 years old now ,ive carried this for so long and im tired,i hope and prey for the end soon,am so scared that it wont be soon…..that is the tragedy

Matt on October 29, 2014 at 2:36 am

We live in a tiny tiny bubble of a hostile and indifferent universe that would pretty much kill us in an instant. Our bodies are fragile and don’t last forever. Bad things happen when the forces of the indifferent universe violate that bubble of safety. There is no purpose to it. Its how we deal with it that matters.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 2:34 am

Bad things happen to a lot of people, good, or bad. That’s just life. Tragedy serves no purpose. You don’t need it as a reason to make you stronger, or to shape your character. You can do that yourself without all the drama

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 1:52 am

It happens because no one is good. We are all evil, selfish pigs. These “good people”, like some would say I am, are only thought of as good because of the selfish reason of feeling good when we show charity and pity to others. Yes, I do believe in a selfless good deed and love, but that is rare. The evil we have within us is enough to condemn us to death. We just don’t want to admit it.

Michelle B. on October 29, 2014 at 1:32 am

Tragedy does not always mean you’re doing something bad and you get what you deserve.. it means that your faith and sanity are being tested.. this is only for the sole purpose of keeping a balance and embrace whatever comes to you in every way .. you learn and live trough every “bad” experience in order to become stronger and be able to fight back or simply know how to accept it and not let yourself be knocked down.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 12:51 am

Tragedy is here to make us stronger and to allow us to truly experience joy. Without sorrow and sadness, we cannot comprehend what true joy is and appreciate it.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 12:32 am

My vision on this is probably different than most. For one thing, I know that life after death is NOT a bad thing. In fact it is home. Here is the place you don’t want to return to. Here there is suffering. Your home is not earth. Your home is Heaven. You are your soul. And your body is a temporary thing whereas your soul is eternal. Jesus Christ died on a cross then resurrected so that we can have eternal life. When we are born on earth all that we do is recorded in our subconscious. Everything. Like a tape recorder. When we die it is played back to us and it is the enlightening we gain from our journey here that we learn from. It is all about love. Who we hurt. Who hurt us. The whys are answered. Bad things happening to good people is part of that journey. Good things also happen to bad people. And always always it is about the love…

Lilith on October 29, 2014 at 12:22 am

Tragedy befalls us all. Good or bad people experience tragedy. How we overcome it is what builds strength and character. It only seems like bad things only happen to good people because as a society we feel that good people do not deserve to suffer. When in fact, tragedy has not favorites.

Anonymous on October 29, 2014 at 12:21 am

If god didn’t put his thumb on the scales now and then, he would lose his shirt. Besides, good people are tourists; they won’t be here long.

sara cicek on October 29, 2014 at 12:08 am

The wind knocks us all down those of us that stand back up only have the strength the rest lay buried below to weak to walk waiting to die

Peter Dudar on October 28, 2014 at 11:57 pm

The man who would have been my brother-in-law died before my wife and I were married. He and his new bride were in an accident (he was a carpenter and drove a pickup truck), and the way his vehicle was hit left him with internal injuries that led him to bleed to death, whereas his wife survived the accident with only mild harm done. My wife’s brother was born with a rare genetic disorder that had caused him to suffer two strokes while he was in his teen years, and the doctors told my in-laws that he would never grow to be an adult. He’d beaten the odds, and although he had moderate learning disabilities from his condition, he was the sweetest guy who ever lived. It was dumb-fucking-luck that he tried to pull through an intersection too quickly. On the last occasion that I saw him alive, he gave me his blessing that I should marry his sister. It was so important to him that she be happy in life, and he knew that she was happy being with me. My wife and I have been together now going on 18 years, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him giving me his blessing before he left this existence.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 11:42 pm

Bad things happen for no reason. Usually it’s due to the carelessness of others, sometimes it’s due to the deliberate actions of others. It serves no purpose; there are no lessons to be learned. Tragedy breeds sorrow and everyone responds to tragedy in different ways.

CB on October 28, 2014 at 11:38 pm

Tragedy is senseless, and so cannot serve a “purpose.” The question of suffering is the desperate black hole that most religions frantically work to ignore or explain away.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 11:32 pm

Because there is no god! Religion is a mental disease.

NoName on October 28, 2014 at 11:30 pm

Just as there are random acts of kindness in this world, we also see random acts of evil. This Dualism is woven into our very design, perhaps over time. Tragedy In my life strikes sudden and hard, and seemingly quite random. I have lost close family members to murder, to suicides, and cruel illnesses. I myself have been sexually assaulted, brutalized repeatedly, and rejected over an entire childhood that stole from me any hope that I might expect a normal life. I have never quite recovered from any of these tragedies. Have I learned anything? Yes. If you cant recover from random acts of evil, you will likely forfeit your sanity. So try really hard to work through them. The purpose then, follows thusly: Deal with your tragedies and have a chance at a good life. If you fail to deal, YOU LOSE. Survival of the fittest I suppose. Be Strong!

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 11:23 pm

The most tragic thing is a life not lived..death comes to us all too soon..

Tragedy on October 28, 2014 at 11:21 pm

Bad things don’t just happen to good people. Sometimes, bad things happen to bad people, too. They still see the bad things as underserved or inexplicable. My broken toe hurts me more than your five broken bones. Tragedy is about perspective, and the pain of it is only healed by gaining the perspective that comes with time.

Jan on October 28, 2014 at 11:18 pm

Even if you think that you are perfect, have “lived right,” have done all the right things, and even if society agrees, tragedy will hit, and nobody is excluded. Tragedy’s purpose is that it’s an unavoidable mechanism that forces us to grow or wither, and it’s our choice as to which it’s going to be.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 11:09 pm

We don’t grow as people if we don’t hit a bump in the road now and then. I’m no stranger to tragedy, believe me, and when one happens, you have a choice. You can pick up and do the best you can with what’s left, or you can wallow and stay there in the shadow of the tragedy forever. Which would you choose?

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 11:08 pm

I believe everything happens for a reason, and I think those reasons are unknown to us most of the time. I believe that every action has a consequence. If it doesn’t affect the person who performed the action, it will somehow affect someone else down the road. I also think tragedy occurs to show us that all that glitters is not gold. Our lives aren’t perfect, regardless of what we think of ourselves. Tragedy occurs to help us realize that reality is cruel and hurtful.

Christina on October 28, 2014 at 10:58 pm

There is no purpose other than cause and effect and possibly random accidents. We may not see the cause, but there is one. A great person gets cancer? Something in the genes combined with exposure to an unknown toxin, something along those lines. Tragedy happens to almost everyone at some point. How we deal with it can give it meaning, but there is no intrinsic meaning.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:42 pm

Tragedy is like beauty, in the eye of the beholder. There is no rhyme or reason to either one. And although through a religious point of view, it serves to purify and to polish both the person it befalls on and the people that surround them, I can’t believe this to be true in all cases. It’s about loss, be it physical, material or emotional and our ability to overcome, shed and re-birth ourselves.

Dan on October 28, 2014 at 10:41 pm

Bad things happen to all people, more bad than good. Sometimes there is no telling bad from good as a result. Sometimes good people are ruined and bad people redeemed.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:38 pm

It has no purpose, it just is. If we get over it, we have a better life, if we don’t we have no life.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:34 pm

When it rains, it falls on the just and unjust alike.

Bob on October 28, 2014 at 10:29 pm

People will say, “What doesn’t kill you only makes you better”.
Bad things happen to everyone. Good or bad.
And even that, is subjective.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:28 pm

There is no purpose for bad things happening to good people. There isn’t any purpose for bad things happening to bad people, other than the taste of revenge that other so-called ‘good’ people feel because of it.
Tragedy is a 20-something young man pre-planning his funeral, spending years paying for a casket and headstone and burial plot, thinking he will spend the rest of his short life unloved, dying alone, because he has AIDS. Fucking tragedy is a society that allows this to happen, and ostracizes him because he is dying of a disease that isn’t socially acceptable. What purpose could that possibly serve?

Kate on October 28, 2014 at 10:26 pm

Again, atheist. It doesn’t serve a purpose. It’s just the way things are.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:20 pm

Bad things happen to all people. Its only noticed more when it happens to a “good” person. The things we go thru in life mold and shape who we are, what we believe and how we interact with society on a whole. I don’ t like it when bad things happen in my life, but I take them as they come because I know I have to endure those times to receive the good things in life. Its all just a road we have to travel, how we face it determines our strength.

trish on October 28, 2014 at 10:19 pm

I think bad things happen to good people because we all have free will and sometimes there is no justice in the world because we are all affected by other people’s choices-also other creatures choices…a mosquito bites someone who is a nice person and gives them a disease although the mosquito is only trying to survive.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:18 pm

I believe that everything happens for a reason. Even the awful things. God doesn’t make them happen, humans do. But I think he allows them to because a lesson is learned, or another person is saved. Sometimes it takes something really bad for people to realize how good they have it and to appreciate what they have because there are no guarantees that what they have will last. I think everything that happens to us shapes us into who we will be when we meet God.

Jane on October 28, 2014 at 10:17 pm

“Bad” is such a subjective term. A bad thing for one person might be a very good thing for another. The same goes with the phrase “good people” – who’s defining and labeling these “bad things” and “good people?”

The easiest answer? Shit happens. Car accidents happen. People get hurt. Kids get hurt.

What purpose does any of it serve? It’s life. Each of us starts dying the moment we take our first breath.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:16 pm

Sometimes good people fall into bad things, thinking they’re doing something good for someone when they should’ve just walked away. There’s no moral to the story, or a lesson in “rising back up when on your knees…” Just should’ve said, “Not My Problem.”

Spoken from experience.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:14 pm

I do not think it serves any purpose. I think random horrible things happen, because the world we live in is a randomly occurring place and space in time. People cause harm to others, whether the harm is on purpose or not, is the question for me. A train wreck or car wreck, the basic bottom line was someone somewhere made a decision that went wrong for someone.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:11 pm

Bad things happen to good people because the universe has no consciousness with which to exhibit compassion for mortals.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:00 pm

We live in a broken world and bad things happen to everyone. Everything that happens to us shapes us and molds us into who we are. How we deal with tragedy either makes us stronger or defeats us. We can become stronger and better depending on how we deal with tragedy.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:00 pm

Bad things happen. If you ask anyone, from a religious person to a person on death row, bad things happen to everyone. It’s a part of the human condition. Would any of these people believe they are bad? I think not. And this is why bad things happen to good people. It’s all in the perception of who we are.

Smyle on October 28, 2014 at 9:57 pm

tragedy has taught me maybe two things. My mind is strong enough to make it through some pretty awful things. Therefore, it has taught me strength. Second, life/ the world keeps functioning basically the same despite tragedy. therefore, tragedy has little to no influence on the sun coming up the next day.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:55 pm

Bad things happen to everyone. We only call it tragedy when it happens to good people.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:51 pm

I don’t know why bad things happen to good people.
We’re told it’s punishment for transgressions. Or, if a person is truly good, the bad thing is a test.
I never understood that.
If I’m a good person, why do I need to be tested, to be pushed to my limits? Just because I can carry the burden doesn’t mean I want to keep adding to my load, or that I need to to be a “better” person.
Why can’t enough be enough?
The only thing I can think of, is that it serves as a check-in to our humanity. If we saw bad things happening to bad people all the time, we would be satisfied but not in touch with our compassion. When something bad happens to a good person, it stirs up a whole other set of less selfish emotions that are important in helping us to REMAIN good people.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:45 pm

Tragedy happens to everyone, it is a part of life. It will break you, and take you to a point you never thought you would see. How or if you rise from it will determine your future.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:45 pm

Bad things happen, to good people and not so good people! No reason! The survivors deal with it as best they can. They decide to go on, or not. Lungs fill and deflate, hearts continue to beat and minds process information. Questions remain unanswered and pain either eases or becomes chronic. No purpose is served but we can make something from it if we choose.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:43 pm

My biggest tragedy was when my best friend d died in a car accident.

Catherine on October 28, 2014 at 9:43 pm

Everyone, good or bad, if they live long enough will experience tragedy. I think part of overcoming and healing from tragedy shapes you and makes you stronger so the next tragic experience is not so horrific. Also, if you manage to survive your tragedy sane and somewhat whole, you can reach out and help others overcome their tragedy.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:31 pm

Bad things happen because they do. It’s how you handle the bad times that count. I once heard that everyone has something in their life that will happen to bring them to their knees. I doubted that until this year. Getting through it has made me so strong.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:29 pm

Tragedy is loss. Maybe of a loved one or a relationship, but ultimately it is loss. So maybe tragedy is an illusion. Because death is inevitable and people move on to other relationship.

Roadkill on October 28, 2014 at 9:27 pm

Tragedies are sad opportunities, openings for exploration and discovery.

Sue on October 28, 2014 at 9:27 pm

It’s a bit of a cliche, but without pain, would we really appreciate joy; without tragedy, would the wonder of life and love be as sweet? When someone we love contracts a fatal disease, or is in a horrible accident, or suffers a mental or physical disability, it’s easy to blame and curse God. It’s much harder to keep your faith and allow it to make you a stronger person, not just for yourself, but for those who may depend on you. Why not curse and blame Satan? I believe those of us who have gone through the fire with our faith intact come out the other side with steel in our spines, forged of stronger stuff.

sevn7 on October 28, 2014 at 9:19 pm

Bad things just happen to everyone there is no higher purpose….the world is glorious and a horror show at the same time. We need to accept that fact…

ad on October 28, 2014 at 9:15 pm

Bad things happen to good people because bad things just happen. I don’t think being a good person makes you immune to bad things, though it would be nice. What purpose does it serve? No purpose, I think. It just happens and you take it and make it your own and do with it what you can.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 9:02 pm

Tragedy destroys innocence. One can live through it, die because of it or be changed into someone who exists somewhere in between.

Ellen on October 28, 2014 at 8:57 pm

Tragedy can only be determined by what a person defines to be such as a tragedy. Perhaps one person may perceive it to be a tragedy that they broke a nail, lost something or any one of a myriad of other happens that another person may perceive as just a temporary inconvenience or nothing of issue at all.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:50 pm

Tragedy. One person’s tragedy is not another’s. Things happen. We don’t mind when bad things happen to bad people. It is a tragedy when they happen to good ones.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:49 pm

We only make it bad. To have good you got to have bad to compare it with. There are those who will wallow in self pity over hangnails — because they like the attention. Depends on what you do with the bad — ruin your life or just a couple of months. The decision is up to you.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:47 pm

Tragedy to me is less about bad things happening to undeserving people, and more about good things happening to undeserving people. Is that wrong? If so, I don’t care. There are some bad mammajammas out there who live the good life.

Mike on October 28, 2014 at 8:45 pm

I really don’t know why bad things happen to good people – at least not in the larger scheme of things. Its senseless, purposless. We’re way too small a part of the universe to make our painful experiences significant or necessary. We may rationalize it in the short term; that it builds character or makes us stronger as a person, but I have a hard time accepting that. They are just experiences that we build into ourselves, that make ourselves different from others.
Maybe that’s it; we all act as some universal memory bank, recording all the 1’s and 0’s of life.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Everything has a purpose. We grow and learn in times of tragedy. Death sucks, but living forever would be worse.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Bad things happen to bad people. Bad things, like good things, just happen. They are a part of life. They have no purpose unless we want them to.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:41 pm

We believe everything happens for a reason: to prepare us for something to come, or to get us away from something even more tragic. My husband was severely burned and in the hospital for 2 months. Was it to enable him to help the next burn victim? Was it for the good of the community; to come together to help us? Was it so he could become a better husband and father? These are only three of the good things that did happen. Was it to keep him from a worse situation; to keep him safe in the cocoon of the hospital? Would he have caused or been involved in a fatal accident? Only God knows

McNutts on October 28, 2014 at 8:40 pm

Bad things happen to people of all walks of life. What makes it different is how the person chooses to cope with it. ‘good’ people may not have experienced a lot of ‘bad’ things in their life to prepare them for more ‘bad’. The term ‘bad’ is also subjective. a bad grade for one student may be another student’s best grade ever. a car accident for one person may seem like the end of the world while someone else may view it as a way to get a new vehicle.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:38 pm

it’s a grand/cruel circle…………good – bad

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:38 pm

‘Bad things’ happen to ‘good people’ because there is no moral justice. Morality is a comforting lie created by man to escape the harshness of existence. As such, the universe is under no obligation to reward acts we deem good or to punish acts we call evil.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:30 pm

My experiences in tragedy are heartbreaking and life altering. The death of a daughter,in a violent fashion. The death of an infant granddaughter. The failed marriage after 28 years of living hell. A massive coronary. Double bypass. Renal failure with dialysis. All of that still has not beat me. I am stronger and wiser. No bitterness here. Just thankful to be alive. By the way I left out the part about me beating cancer. Yes indeed,I’m a survivor.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:27 pm

Remember being a kid and discovering how a magnifying glass focuses sunlight and increases its power? Perhaps “bad” life circumstances are like being trapped in the focused sunlight. We can wither and wilt allowing that circumstance to devolve into hopelessness, violence, and hate. Or we can burst into flame and make that circumstance be a catalyst for hope, resolve, compassion, and love. No matter what direction you take, it is because you feel something. Isn’t the greatest Tragedy the inability to feel? Isn’t the biggest loss emotional numbness? The only question you need to ask is what you will do when that light is focused on you.

Peanut on October 28, 2014 at 8:25 pm

Tragedy happens because there is always good and evil!! Without the bad how would you know what good is??

glitterfades on October 28, 2014 at 8:21 pm

The bad things happen so we know what the good things are. If everything was always good, would we appreciate or even notice it? I don’t think so. Is it fair? No, it’s random. Tragedy touches whomever it touches, all of us at one time or another. No one has less or more, just different kinds and for each of us it is there to show us the darkness so we can see the light.

Wooden1 on October 28, 2014 at 8:19 pm

As a great writer once observed: Sorrow floats.

Wooden1 on October 28, 2014 at 8:19 pm

As a great writer once observed: Sorrow floats.

LostOne on October 28, 2014 at 8:15 pm

In the darkest time of my life, I tried to take a life. Anger swelled inside me, a madness set loose at an unwanted touch. Blood on my hands and face as I strove to break his head upon the baseboard, stopped only by the presence of mother at my side screaming.
The man had been my abuser for so long. I could no longer tolerate him near me, speaking to me, or being smelled by me. Innocence and joy were taken, replaced with hate, fear, pain. Drawing breath is often the tragedy of the beaten children. From the warmth of sunlight into the cold of night we are sometimes drawn. Amidst the shadows I was lost.

DaisyChain on October 28, 2014 at 8:14 pm

I believe you choose your path before you even get here. You choose your lessons. Bad things happen to teach you what you came here to learn, and even then, it’s more about how you rise above the challenges and keep on going.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:13 pm

Bad things happen to all people. It enriches the good that comes to us.

LIZZY on October 28, 2014 at 8:12 pm

Bad things happen…good things happen..a bad thing for myself maynot be a bad thing for someone else…same with the good…If no bad things happen to you than what do you compare it to..to consider another thing good! In my opinion…things happen…this is life. You need to experience bad with the good to truely appreciate life and to live it..life is not a string of events…it your reaction to them..

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:11 pm

Tragedy….i believe things usually happen for a reason (so maybe tragedy is mixed with faith for me). You can’t see how things are tied together sometimes until some point later. In my case, bad things happened (my husband found a girlfriend and we were heading for divorce, when he committed suicide) which I realized made life easier a ways down the road. No messy terrible divorce. No dealing with custody issues or my children being torn between parents. No fears of my husband using the children as pawns in his games (yes he was that type of person). We had plenty of terrible things to face – why he killed himself, how my children were too young to suddenly be fatherless, and tons of other things – but we got through them all together. My children are happy and secure in knowing I will always be here for them. I have realized I am even more resilient than I had thought. I guess to sum it up, I think that eventually with tragedy comes a better understanding for life, people, etc.

Autumntide on October 28, 2014 at 8:09 pm

I’m not wise enough to know the real answer. Maybe it’s because Life is always shifting. People are a mixed can of nuts. Tragedies are often of a random nature and sometimes it’s because other people are bent and twisted in their mind and spirit and do not follow the path with a Heart. There are people who relish causing pain in others. Maybe there is a basis for karma or maybe it’s because shit just happens, sometimes. I dunno…go fish.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:04 pm

It’s life. Some people just deserve it.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm

tragedy serves as a reminder of the balance of good/bad

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm

I don’t know that bad things necessarily happen to good people. I feel that what goes around comes around. Wasting energy on the “why me” is pointless when you could be finding a way to repair what was broken, or right the wrong. Even if that’s impossible, it’s still a better use of energy.

Dawn on October 28, 2014 at 8:00 pm

I have truly had tragedy show it’s awful self in my life. With each event I would always ask,”why me?”. This is a question that can never be answered. I do believe that every experience helped shape me into who I am now. Yes, the good and the bad…. Some tragedies can leave bitterness behind, such a powerful bitter aftertaste, that I taste it daily.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 7:58 pm

I don’t believe tragedy in of itself is real. Events happen and how we react to these are an indicator of the tragedy of same. Who decides if events are good or bad. The way we feel about them does. We tend to want those around to feel the same way about those events that make us feel sad so we name them a tragedy to try to evoke the same feelings in others. Tragedy is a word that possess’ feelings. Who is the arbiter who decides whether events or people are good or bad.

Tammy Kispert on October 28, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Bad things can only be defined as such by the person experiencing them. What is tragic to one may be freeing or positively life-shaping for another. Mine have served as tests of fortitude and faith.

Virginie on October 28, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Bad things happen to good people, just because our lives are a huge lottery with no other meaning or signification. Why do bad things happen? Because they can, I guess. I am not sure there is a purpose to it. The closest thing I can, is that good people who overcome the bad things happening to them, know how to really appreciate life, after…

Win McManus on October 28, 2014 at 7:53 pm

Shit happens.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 7:47 pm

Tragedy! Maybe this isn’t a good time for me to be here. My opinions can be like the wind, they change with my moods, and I have many of them. Today however I will just stick with life is a tragedy, and everyone is but a player on the stage.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 7:46 pm

Bad things happen to build us into stronger people. They shape us into the stronger ones ( who will lead, protect and be productive) Or the weaker ones ( who will need protection, need care & the addicted & useless) Just the way it is

SKFAN on October 28, 2014 at 7:45 pm

Who is to say what a good person is, good like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Things happen, to good and bad people, they just happen. It’s because of the things that happen to you that you become a good or bad person.

BB on October 28, 2014 at 7:43 pm

Bad things happen to everyone….it’s part of the ying & yang of life. You can’t appreciate the good things with out having experienced any bad.

Steph on October 28, 2014 at 7:38 pm

I think bad things just happen. The fact that you’re a good or bad person is irrelevant.

Neo-Pagan on October 28, 2014 at 7:35 pm

Bad things happen to everyone…sometimes we follow the right path to deal with them…and sometimes we choose another way to deal with them. If there were no bad things, good actions wouldn’t shine so bright in the world.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 7:32 pm

Tragedy is comedy. Light and dark. Without one, there is no other. It is a fact of life that we have to accept. It is a contract we signed at birth.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 5:44 pm

Bad things don’t happen to good people. They happen to people. And they might not necessarily have a clear purpose. It all comes to how we deal with the bad things and the final result they bring us to.

David on October 28, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Tragedy exists to test faith.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm

I believe in a watching God rather than a ruling God. I don’t believe in fate. I believe it’s up to us to try to prevent suffering. Sadly, good people often come to harm trying to right wrongs. Their purpose may be that of providing a lesson so that others will learn to be kind.

z on October 28, 2014 at 2:54 pm

I have found the worst tragedy can produce blessings and answer prayers. I lost a 9-year-old niece suddenly to a rapidly growing brain tumor. But from her death the gift of life was born to others. One child got a heart at the last minute, another got kidneys, another lungs, another liver and pancreas, and another young girl got a pair of baby blue eyes to see the world for all its beauty. That precious smile , infections laugh and love of life remains alive… they’re just currently residing in other children at the moment having some fun before being reunited with her soul.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 2:02 pm

There is no higher purpose. Things occur and we can’t control them all. Bad things will always happen, to everyone. Earthquakes, tsunamis, also manmade natural disasters like murderers and rapists will continue. It is a sad fact that to live a good life is not making you less likely to be hit by a tsunami.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 1:29 pm

I think it scares us into getting the most out of life. Take life for granted and it will be snatched away before you know it happened.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 12:35 pm

Tragedy is what comes out of a chaotic existence. Some people live their whole lives without ever being touched by tragedy, others seem plagued by it.

I hate the idea that “everything happens for a reason”. Don’t tell me that. It’s less insulting to just say “everything happens”. It’s how you choose to react to tragedy that really matters.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 12:22 pm

Tragedy can often be a blessing in disguise.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 12:21 pm

Tragedy is loss, and loss is death. “Death” is defined depending on the individual, since it’s up to him/her whether or not to live beyond it: If a person believes that death is the end, then it is; the person who believes that death is part of life must allow death to change them, and it does. Tragedy, or loss, is life’s way of teaching humans how to change, how to grow, how to avoid dying.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 12:01 pm

Tragedy is an entity indifferent to the character of people.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 10:00 am

I think everything is a preparation.

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 8:10 am

…after the initial hurt and devastation, a new person emerges, much like the legendary Phoenix…not necessarily any better-but different…this prevents stasis and stagnation…

Anonymous on October 28, 2014 at 12:59 am

I can’t see any exterior (that is, directed by fate, karma, a deity etc) purpose in bad things happening to good people. It’s just a gamble, roll of the dice, however you want to put it. The only purpose in it that I can see, is what people make of it (i.e if they choose to act in retaliation, or change their behaviour because if it).

Anonymous on October 27, 2014 at 2:13 pm

I learn about myself and others on the deepest level when I’m truly put to the test through a tragedy. IMO, tragedy is really just the most extreme test of our resilience as humans.

I think our ability to grow out of the ashes of tragedy is something that makes us better people. It sucks beyond words to lose loved ones, to watch them suffer, to see epic disasters with unfathomable loss of life. Especially with regard to children. BUT it makes as stronger as humans. That old cliche comes to mind. “Whatever doesn’t kill, you makes you stronger.”

It’s the fuel for our collective evolution and it keeps us on our toes. Knowing that we could be gone at any moment really does help to get the most out of life and grow into better stronger people.

Perhaps it’s a good thing?

Bee Man on October 26, 2014 at 8:06 pm

Bad things happen to good people because we don’t live in a perfect world, we live in the real world. We live in a world where death, pain and injury exist, as does random chance. We seek meaning and patterns in things, it is a human trait. So when something bad happens we try to find reason in it. Reasons help us with acceptance. Experiences, whether bad or good, become part of our makeup, part of our personality. And we know through constant trial and testing what we’re capable of and what our limits are. But any meaning we find in the tragedy itself is of our own making.

Anonymous on October 24, 2014 at 5:33 am

Only through bad experiences can we truly begin to change something for the better.
If there are no challenges or pitfalls; grief, pain, or loss, would we ever seek to change/improve our circumstances; or grow as individuals and societies?

Anonymous on October 23, 2014 at 8:40 pm

I think bad things happen to good people because we’re humans. No one can escape the randomness of bad. If you are on this Earth, be prepared for hard situations. The bad builds character. It makes us appreciate the good.

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