Introduction. We instinctively reject the idea that everything that happens is pre-determined and inevitable, but this essay explains the simple and compelling reasons why it's true. These reasons are easy to understand. But for many intelligent and thoughtful people the idea is at first sight so obviously inconsistent with experience and commonsense, and its consequences so distressing, that they feel sure it must be wrong. And so they find it difficult to consider the matter …showed first 75 words of 4106 total…

…showed last 75 words of 4106 total…destroy our peace of mind. When things have gone wrong, and especially when they've gone tragically wrong, the knowledge that what happened was inevitable really helps us to bear the pain. It weakens the powerful grip of destructive feelings. This makes it easier to accept what's happened and resign oneself to the consequences. And acceptance and resignation can bring solace and serenity. We can then make the best of it and go on from there.