I Was Warned I Would Be Paralyzed Before it Happened

Ok, the title of the video might be a little bit of exaggeration. I wasn't literally told that I would be paralyzed in three days, specifically. But what happened in that little hotel room in south Colorado was still pretty surreal. I don't believe in destiny per se, at least not the idea that we were born to do one specific thing in a certain way. I do however believe that we are each born with a specific set of gifts and that life tends to nudge us in directions that will allow us to discover, nurture and utilize those gifts to their highest potential. Sometimes, like was the case with me, we stray so far away from the highest expression of our gifts that those gentle nudges turn into a solid slap upside the head. As was the case for me when I got in the car wreck that left me paralyzed from the waist down, it was from the moment it happened a clear wake up call. Cynical people or psychiatrist types might believe that assigning this meaning to a random traumatic event is a great coping mechanism that helps an individual deal with such a reality shattering event. To that I would say, yeah maybe, perhaps it is just human nature to try to derive meaning from suffering so that the suffering doesn't seem pointless. But from my perspective the ability to assign gainful meaning to something tragic sounds a lot more like a useful skill than a 'coping mechanism'. It really comes down to what your core beliefs are in how the world functions. Is the Earth, the Universe, and your own life all just the result of millions upon millions of random circumstances happening over the course of billions of years for no particular reason? Or is there a bit more to the story than that? Is there some spark, hit of magic or intelligence to the whole thing? I don't think that EVERY ONE of our favorite movies, stories, books and myths would hint at the touch of the divine, if there wasn't a little something to it. When I have questioned whether or not there is a God, I first thought a lot for many years, about what the definition of God would be and for me I came to the conclusion that each person's definition is unique and ever evolving. When it comes to believing in something divine it's glaringly obvious to me at this point in my life that there is undoubtedly forces beyond our comprehension at work and that at least of of those forces loves us deeply, unconditionally and is working in our favor if we align with its laws and principles. To the skeptics I would simply ask, "Either way, God or no God, which belief better serves you and the human condition? One where a omnipotent creationist being that interconnects all living things is caring for you, loving you unconditionally and protecting you. Or the alternative, that you are alone in this cold, unfeeling natural world, where it's dog eat dog, and you have nothing but your survival skills and complete chance to get you through. For me, coping mechanism or not, the world where there is a creator, weaving intelligent magic through all of us and guiding us to unlock our fullest potential so we can most effectively serve others is simply the answer out of the two possibilities that makes my day to day life the most enjoyable, and my future outlook the most bright. I think assigning meaning and purpose to events is probably our single greatest defining characteristics of being human and using it to find meaning in your life is kind of the whole point.