A World at War with Itself
The podcast will be for a year, where Julie Finch-Scally, writer and broadcaster can interview people about life and the current situation of the world. She will discuss how so many things have changed over the past 80 years since her birth, and what the world needs to change to improve and save the planet from ourselves.
A World at War with Itself
Everything Happens for a Reason
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Things happen in our lives and there is always the question Why? Some people, like me, beleive there is a reason but we don't find out until sometimes years later. I talked with several people about this subject, with some interesting results.
Hello there, Julie Finch Scally here again, bringing you another episode of A World at War with Itself. This week I am speaking with several people who I have recently discussed other subjects with before in previous episodes. This time I'm talking about something I strongly believe in. Everything happens for a reason. I know not everyone thinks the same way, but during my life on this planet I have come to discover it to be true. But I am sure you would like to hear what others think about this subject. As with the previous episodes, I have asked each person the same question. The first one being, did they consider misfortunes as a challenge or bad luck?
SPEAKER_03A challenge. I want to push back and I want to get through and I want to come out the other side.
SPEAKER_06I think it's a challenge. I don't think you can put anything into a bad luck. But I think well that teaches you a lesson. Don't do it again. Let's go forward and look for the good in everything that you're doing instead of bad luck.
SPEAKER_05I've had lots of bad luck in my life, but it does help you to learn what is better and what you well, it gives you a l good life lesson. So it can be more of a misfortune than bad luck because bad luck is what you make yourself, misfortune is what happens.
SPEAKER_01I think it's a challenge. If you can just get it bad luck, well you've you've got to move on from whatever that uh situation is. So uh you've got to learn from a misfortune if it happens that way, it's it's a a challenge in trying to get over it if you can.
SPEAKER_02Well, when I see it in other people, I'm always amazed. Misfortune I mean. I'm always amazed at how some people actually rise to their challenge and still enjoy life despite misfortune, like illness or something like that. Yeah, yeah, I actually think it is misfortune. I mean, uh I what was the other answer? Sorry, the other or bad luck. Or bad luck. Well well they're almost the same thing, aren't they? Really? Well, true, but sometimes people look at it as a challenge, which you just I admire people who can see misfortune as a challenge, absolutely, and learn something from it and adapt their character to it.
SPEAKER_00Misfortune happens to everyone throughout all of our lives. It's it's gonna happen at some point. Yeah. So I think leaning into it and dealing with it is really important. But at the same time, you need to have a good wing every now.
SPEAKER_04Kinda both, but it's bad luck, but the challenge is in overcoming that challenge and overcoming that bad luck.
SPEAKER_08I don't really think it's either. I think it's just something that you handle.
SPEAKER_07My second question was, was there ever a time in their life that they can now look back on and realize that if it hadn't taken place, an important change in their life would never have happened?
SPEAKER_00Well, I guess a really good one would be meeting my partner because she is Australian, which has led to me having a connection to Australia for over 20 years now, which I don't think would have happened without meeting her. So that's a pretty big one.
SPEAKER_03I certainly can.
SPEAKER_07Can you tell us that?
SPEAKER_03It was in 1981 when a friend of mine at university said, I'm going to teach hike around the world. Do you want to come with me? So we put our lives and jobs on hold and traveled around the world for months. And um, it was life-changing. It showed me that people all around the world are the same. They all want the same things. We have much more in common than we do in our differences. It matured me. It it was fundamental to the person that I became.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_07What was it?
SPEAKER_04It was f thinking that I'd finished uni in three years when I suddenly realized that I didn't actually have the correct number of credits in the correct courses, and I needed to stay back for another year. I stayed back for another year, grumpily. But as a result, I got a rather good job in another city, and I love that job and I love the opportunities that it has tossed in my path. So I'm not at all upset about that.
SPEAKER_05Absolutely. If I hadn't have gotten married at the time, I would not have my gorgeous girls and granddaughters and such a loving family now. Even with the challenges it gives me. Absolutely. That is the biggest thing.
SPEAKER_02Having children obviously is a big one for me. We we've got three children and they brought a lot of different experiences to us. Some uh happy experiences, some some small disappointments too at times. That's that's an important thing. I think my university days uh have uh brought an experience that I wouldn't have missed, and also some of my jobs I I've liked too, you know, the travel involved in some and and the challenges, the intellectual challenges I've enjoyed that.
SPEAKER_08Um probably not. I think that the journey of my life has been just a series of things which has happened and one thing develops on another. I suppose you could talk about sliding doors moments, but I don't think I've ever really had any.
SPEAKER_01Changing jobs and moving to Canberra is probably the the obvious biggest thing, changing careers and moving here. It it opened up, changed the sort of sphere of w what I was uh doing and opened up quite a few things, and I think it was good for the children who were very young at the stage. Yeah. So I think that would have to be the biggest one. Change of address and change of a career all at the same time.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I think so. I had a lot of scrapes with my mother over marriage to a particular person. She broke us up, and I married a man that I didn't really care for as I should have. And he was I felt mentally cruel and through that I brought my children up, I stayed with him, and then eventually I had enough of it. And if I hadn't of broken that off, I wouldn't have met my husband today, who is a genuinely the best man I've ever met.
SPEAKER_07And the final question did they believe in the statement that everything happens for a reason?
SPEAKER_06Yes, it does. It does happen for a reason. You can't say why, and that's going back to my your first question, your question you just asked me a moment ago. If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have met my husband today. So yes, I do sometimes yes.
SPEAKER_08I think yes, I think yes. I do think that there is probably some sort of guiding principle. I'm not sure what it is, but yes, I think probably everything happens for a reason. We may not know uh what that reason is, but there is a certain logic to the universe.
SPEAKER_05Yes, I do. Because your life is yours, you need to put yourself out there and compete, enjoy I don't know, just live the life and and be there. And make everything happen. Yeah. And make things happen for yourself, yes.
SPEAKER_00No. It's pretty much the only answer uh I can give really, really definitively. No, I don't. No, for me, intuitively, the answer is no. But at the same time, I get many people have different opinions on that. No, for me, intuitively, the answer is no.
SPEAKER_02I well, I don't actually believe that's the case. That everything happens for a reason. I don't think there's anybody setting anything down for us. I think things do happen at random, so uh I wouldn't say there's any great rhyme or reason behind things that happen.
SPEAKER_01I d I don't think so. Everything happens for a reason. You think that way maybe it becomes everything becomes a little bit deterministic. So I can't answer that question properly.
SPEAKER_04Kinda yes and kinda no. But then again, the negatives that have occurred in my life have all worked out in the end. They might have irritated me when they happened, but I found a way around that irritation to find joy at the end.
SPEAKER_07I hope that what Greg, Marilyn, Sally, Andy, Karen, Stuart, Nikki, and Chris have revealed has given you food for thought. I would like to thank them all for their input with this podcast. It has been useful to discuss subjects that are a little different with each of them. And that's it for this week's A World at War With Itself. Do please join me next Wednesday. Until then, this is Julie Finch Scalley wishing you well.