“Everything happens for a reason…… Well, wouldn’t you imagine this would be true? It has the inner workings of a very powerful cliche, yet rarely is it used as a complimentary or uplifting statement. Most people use this statement as a nicety or when they can’t think of anything else to say—like when someone gets pregnant and she wasn’t planning to do so, or when someone loses a job. Sure, everything is happening for a reason, but ultimately that is based on opinion and rarely on spiritual truth. This is often in the “mind file” as a sudden response; it is more defensive than offensive, and it does not allow the person being spoken to an opportunity to truly feel. It’s what I call a “metaphysical shutdown.”