Surprises...

Christian Science monitor discuses the undeniable unpredictably of life.

- An old saying claims, "There's nothing new under the sun." Whenever you're faced with a difficult situation, it's reassuring to think that someone else in the world has already confronted the same dilemma and found a solution.

I hate to pop any body's bubble, but that old saying is bilge. While it's true that many elements of the world around us are predictable and manageable, there will always be surprises that test our ability to adapt.

No matter how much you plan or brainstorm things--you will still have surprises. I think the best you can do is equip yourself with tools to manage the situation but you cant predict which tool you will be using. To expect everything will go according to plan is very naive. Contingency plans have to be prepared even though they might not be enough. Further I see sometimes that when people plan things , they are making lots of positive assumptions without pondering the strength of these assumptions. And when the assumptions fall apart then they get surprised. My view is that every situation you face is unique. While there are similarities between some situations, they are not all the same. Experience can only help to a certain extent after which you need to keep an open mind and tackle the situation based on whats happening at that time. Perhaps thats why the best resources to approach situations are hybrids of experience and youth.

And as Muslims we believe, we can try our best but in the end what was meant to miss will miss and what is meant to hit will hit. You try your best but then leave rest to God. Don't sweat over it if it didn't work out. Its called Tawakul. As Shaykh Haddad explains on Sunnipath:

We should not confuse Tawakkul - reliance on Allah - with the acts we do in a period of deliberation, reflection, consultation, and special prayer before an important decision. Those acts and that period may come to an end, however, Tawakkul never ends. No matter what the decision, or when, we continue relying on Allah even for matters that seem granted and far less momentous. "Tie it [the camel] and rely [on Allah]" meaning go ahead and act - after due consideration - but always rely on Allah: before, during, and after.