Do you believe the universe tries to tell us things

[Astarthatshinesforyou]

And it tries to push us in another direction or gives hints of it?
Currently live abroad, but for a while it feels everything has been against us-not keen on the schools, had money struggles, now lots of ill health and people passing in the family.
I often wonder if it’s just telling us to give up, go back home.
Have you ever felt like this? Do you fight against it or leave things to fate?

Which god?

Sometimes you have to know when things are not working out, sometimes it's a blip but sometimes everything works against you and it's not worth the fight anymore.
The reality is sometimes going abroad doesn't work out, and that's OK. Lots of people don't want to admit that things didn't quite work out as they hoped (Australia is really common for this)
The UK has its big issues so do most countries

I was about 23 living in a country in europe and I had a brilliant first year, (I was young and single at this time so not the same as family life) I got offered another job in another EU country (EU days freedom of movement times) but declined it, anyway everything fell apart for me in the next few months, the job I declined originally was hiring again, this time I just went for it as I felt I had nothing to lose, and ended up meeting some amazing people and having a wonderful time. By the way when I type got offered another job, it was nothing glam, it's these jobs that offer you bare minimum but with the chance of living in another country for some time, aimed at young people who are seeking adventure. The job itself was rubbish but I'm grateful for the times I had.

No, things are just random.
And I'm ok with that.

I believe things happen for a reason ut not sure what the reason is.
I think sometimes its to teach us life lessons.

I'd urge you to be very careful who you say this to IRL.

Right, like a cancer patient or a victim of violence. Like somebody whose child has died.
They'd probably rip her a new asshole for saying that.

I agree with this lol I have had the worst 2 years of my life with my son dying in 2022 and my partner dying in feb this year and shit certainly does happen. It could be worse but it could be better.

@PassingStranger Oh do you? Great, you must have some insight. Why did my father's parents die when he was a teenager, both in the space of 8 months? Why did my best friend die from Leukaemia at 17? Why did someone very beloved to me die an agonising death in their 30s? Why do I have a load of fucking shitty health problems that will shorten my life, and cause me pain every day? What life lesson should I learn?

I often think it’s good to listen if things feel like a struggle it’s usually not right

No.

Infallible proof that it does indeed speak to us.

No. I think things happen sometimes due to our own actions, like we move somewhere and it turns out to have bad points, or randomly, like someone becomes ill or dies. I think we process these events in our minds and make decisions based on them. If you are feeling like you want to give up and go home its because you think in light of the disadvantages about where you live now, you'd be better off at home. It's not 'the universe' talking, it's your own mind reacting entirely normally to your situation. Now all you need to do is put it to work and reflect on the pros and cons of going home and choose.

Erm, nope. That's ridiculous

No, I think that smacks of privilege and a massive ego.

I don’t believe that the universe is trying to tell us something or that things happen for a reason. I believe that that every action or event has both a positive and negative impact on our life. It’s up to us to try and find the joy and positives in the things that happen. Whether you decide to stay or go will have both a positive and negative impact on your life. Try to commit to a decision and, once you have made that decision, commit to finding the good in it.

I reckon Trump must be thinking that about now.

Quite

OMG. So sorry for that.

And this is exactly why I don’t believe that things happen for a reason. But we can’t wish those things away because to do so could change everything. The fact that your grandparents died young could have led to your father making choices that brought him to your mother and resulted in your birth.

Ok, but so what? Someone else would have been born. I had kids with someone who turned out in the long term to be an arse, putting it mildly. It really winds me up when people try to say "but if you hadn't known him you wouldn't have had your beautiful DCs.." well no, but I'd have had kids with someone else and they'd have been amazing too, and I wouldnt have known the first pair.

All this naval gazing about meaning is so time-wasting. There's a great Terry Pratchett quote about "if you believe in your dreams and follow your heart you'll still get beaten by the person who got their head down and worked hard". Something like that.

Likely no. But I am an arrogant human who believes I am the highest life form and understands the way life works.

But, we have been around for such a short amount of time. We believe we are the centre of everything which restricts our thinking. We have no idea. Absolutely none. We invented science and we make it bend within the rules we understand. Humans do not understand billions years of existence. So who knows.

No.

If the Cosmos is trying to tell me something, I've not heard a peep

YANBU.

What you call the ‘universe’ I call God. And when we are on the right path for us, things are easy. Doors open. Opportunities and chance meetings happen. Life happens. When we are not on the right path, things are difficult and we feel like we are walking through mud.

I know this makes people angry because how can tragic and awful things happen if it’s ’God’s plan’? Well no one knows. Faith and the meaning of life is a mystery that we don’t understand.

But the answer is to ask the universe what the right way foward is. Pray. Listen. Follow.

I think that there is great meaning to the universe...it is miraculous. No clue at all what that meaning is but it is there!
I think that it is when we ignore that gut feeling or what the universe tries to tell us thrn we run into trouble.

Subjugate, appease, beg, bargain. Ignore the hard questions with "it's all God's plan". I'm a theologian. I study and teach this. None of the philosophical or theological attempts to answer either the evidential or logical problem of evil work. As pp upthread said...the idea that life is easy if you're "good" and hard if you're not if incredibly problematic and frankly offensive.