Nathanial Garrod

“Life Happens”

I would just like to note the amount this is said on the first day of classes.

I cannot tell you how many times I heard this yesterday (actually, I can – it happened three times, which is coincidentally the number of classes I had yesterday). I understand your point. But I just feel like it is redundant to say that. Life, being the action of breathing in and out slash existing is constantly happening. In fact, life is happening inside that very classroom. Life always happens, and thus is a bad reason to not be attending class. Because if one is not attending class because of life “happening” then no one would ever be in class.

I understand, and I find it gracious that teachers understand that there are extraneous circumstances affected by outside forces beyond our own control. I am just wondering if we can find another phrase that does not sound so… down. Because that is the other issue I have with the usage of this phrase. There is such a negative connotation. The idea that because life is “happening,” it means you have to deal with stuff. What if someone could not come to class because they had to fly to another state to accept an award, or check out another school. How are these things not as serious as hospitalized family, or other situations that may arise?

Maybe this phrase as always been as ubiquitous as it is. Maybe I am just starting to notice it. The other possibility is that this is a more recent thing that has started within the past few semesters. If it is a fad, I think it is one that needs to end soon.

2 Comments on ““Life Happens”

  1. Christine
    February 4, 2010

    I don’t think it’s that big of a deal haha, it gets the point across and because of that, very few people think past that.

  2. mederium
    February 7, 2010

    every action has an equal and opposite reaction-life happens 🙂

    if life happens and one can only see the negative connotations behind it in relating to this phrase than they should look again… because in turn, there’s indefinitely something good happening as a result–whether or not the person may recognize it….and we have newtons law to prove it

    and as well, its a fact of life, life itself that as its happening, the beauty/brutality of it is in the eyes of the beholder

    this post caught my eye and i laughed because one day i arrived late to school and in my late note reasoning to being late, with humor, i simply stated “life happened”

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This entry was posted on February 3, 2010 by in Thoughts and tagged , , , , , , .

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