"Everything happens for a reason."

Someone said something to me at the gym this morning and I began to think about how often I hear this;

"Everything happens for a reason."

Of course the suggestion is that there is some divine, mystic or cosmic reason behind every little thing.

I have what may be an unusual take on things;
To me, God, evolution and nature are all one and the same in terms of explaining why or how most things happen.

By that I mean that if one believes in any of the above I see the end result as the same.

As an example, are we wired to be attracted to the opposite sex because a creator designed us that way or because evolution developed us in such a way?
What difference does it make? Either way we are wired as we are so that we can reproduce and continue our species.

But when it comes to everyday business and ultimately meaningless situations how does any of the above factor in?

Here's what happened;
The local Bally's has been going down hill for a while and finally closed it's doors. This means that the members have migrated to other gyms in the area.
I ran into a guy I'd seen before at the other gym and we began talking about how much more convenient the previous facility was and how this new place was going to take some getting used to.
"Well," the guy said, "I figure everything happens for a reason".

Really? You think that there is some cosmic or divine purpose in our working out at 24 Hour Fitness instead of Bally's?
Iran is developing nukes yet the divine powers that be are more concerned with our workouts?
Isn't it possible that the "reason" is no more complicated than poor business management?

A friend of mine was one of those people that ran out during the housing frenzy and bought a house that they couldn't afford on an adjustable rate loan.
When the payments were adjusted (after that attractive initial rate ran out) he found that he can barely make the payments.

At a recent get together someone asked him if he was still struggling with his problematic mortgage situation to which he replied "I figure that the Lord is behind this and everything will work out the way he planned it".

Really?!?
The creator of the universe somehow engineered your decision to be irresponsible and take out a loan that you shouldn't have?

Isn't it possible that whatever cosmic powers that be stay out of it and allows assholes to learn from their own mistakes?

I hear this stuff all of the time.

So if I don't look where I'm going and I bump into a car with my shopping cart there is actually some bigger plan that it's all a part of?

I get drunk and forget my condom so the resulting pregnancy was predestined?

If the pizza delivery guy is late getting to my house is there some divine purpose behind that too?

Man.

People.

Who needs 'em!