No...The Universe Doesn't Have Your Back
Let’s set the record straight: the universe is not your personal life coach. Despite what certain inspirational quotes might suggest, the cosmos doesn’t have a vested interest in ensuring your goals align, your dreams come true, or that your ex suddenly realizes he or she made a huge mistake. The universe is a chaotic, indifferent, mind-bogglingly vast expanse of random events, and any sense of cosmic favor we think we’ve received…that’s just our brains playing connect-the-dots after the fact.
There is no doubt, that “after the fact,” life often feels like it “all worked out.” But this is not because the stars aligned, but because we’re experts at reverse engineering meaning from past events. Say you get the job. Well, it’s easy to look back and craft a narrative that everything led to this moment, but the reality is just a messy web of decisions, coincidences, and circumstances. It’s only in hindsight, with our meaning-infused timelines, that everything seems to make sense. But in the moment, it’s a pinball game, with you as the ball ricocheting unpredictably between opportunities, setbacks, and random Tuesday decisions.
Now, don’t get me wrong—making sense of things on the backend is essential. In fact, it’s one of our most useful mental tools. We thrive on stories and structure. But the problem comes when we assign some grand, cosmic meaning to every event. Doing that is like retrofitting your IKEA furniture and saying, “Ah yes, this wobbly shelf was the universe’s plan all along.” Not only is it unnecessary, but it also forces you into weird mental gymnastics, trying to justify why that missed promotion or flat tire was part of some master scheme.
Before you know it, you’re living in a world of contradictions, twisting logic to fit this grand, universe-backed narrative. You’ll find yourself squinting at misfortune, trying to spot the hidden blessings like a detective hunting for clues in a cosmic conspiracy. Instead, I want embrace the mystery of randomness and choice. Life is a series of events that don’t need the universe’s endorsement. They just happen, and we’re the ones who make the meaning afterward—no backflips required.