Lesser

I heard something once that went something like, "If you want to make God laugh, make a plan." The gist was that nothing amuses whatever you believe the power in the universe to be like us mortals aspiring to something; we delude ourselves with notions that we have control over events in our lives, despite all evidence to the contrary.

We are remarkable in our ability to overlook that evidence. I'll give us that.

Here's the thing: When our aspirations are thwarted, it's more comforting to believe that the universe is conspiring against us, either out of spite or vindictiveness or to spare us from making what would otherwise be mistakes on our part than it is to think that we're simply recurrently unlucky for absolutely no reason.

Better a petty deity who messes with us for amusement than no deity at all to blame.

~

Yeah, that's not the only way to interpret when plans don't go as hoped. But that whole "God doesn't close a door without opening a window" optimism angle has been done to death (and some of the time that's what I believe).

What? Must every post be upbeat? Really?

Surely your religious beliefs can withstand this nonsense...