Okay, you've heard them before:
Everything happens for a reason.
You were meant to be there.
Such and such was meant to happen.
Do
we really believe these things? Or are
they just a convenient way of summing up extraordinary coincidences without
thinking about them too deeply? Is
there some Supreme, Organizing Force in the universe? Or are our brains just a super-powerful
storytelling machines that take raw data and arrange it into a compelling
narrative?
These
are big questions, and let me tell you up front: I don’t have the answer. But it is something I’ve been thinking about
lately. Over the past few years since I
began the project – and especially the past week - I’ve found myself at the
convergence of some pretty astonishing events.
I’ve done some research, and thought some more.
I’d
like to use this space to share my perspective with you and then, of course,
you can decide for yourself.
But
first let me tell you a story.
I'm an Alzheimer’s Advocate. After
watching what happened to my grandfather – how it ravaged not only him but our
entire family – I’ve made the decision to make a difference however I can. This started with the SBYF Project, but has
also grown into more direct, legislative advocacy as well.
