“Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not match expectation.” Charlotte Bronte
This quote makes me do a double take. At first it seems to have a negative tone, “does not, cannot, will not”. I can’t hope to plan and live out my own life goals? After a second reading and some reflection it is clear the sense of a solely negative perspective is inaccurate. Instead, it seems Bronte invites one to acknowledge and accept the amazing complexity and variability of life.
“Life is so constructed…” The unfolding of life is outside of anyone’s control. The quote announces this fact. I do not “construct” life. Life happens and I am a part of it. Accepting this fact is freeing. Bronte is stating a version of the Serenity Pray, “God help me to accept the things I cannot change…”
“…that an event does not, cannot, will not…” Here the quote implies those negative perspectives and outcomes. All those “nots.” Active, passive, and future “nots.” Pervasive “nots.” Instead of simply offering a negative perspective the author challenges one to let go of a false sense of control and a self-focused view of life’s happenings.
“…match expectation.” The hopes, desires, and visions that live within me can be a guide, but only a guide to my life’s path. Bronte does not directly state this, but perhaps she is suggesting that one become open to possibilities and potentialities. Those possibilities might be better than any I could imagine, or offer insights and learning that I could never have known existed. Or, if worse than one imagined, because of life’s complexities and changing forces, there is also potential for other paths to evolve. I must also acknowledge that tragedy could be one of the unexpected events. Nonetheless, I will be better off than if I cling to and insist on my own visions and goals for how life should go. Stepping back and considering the bigger picture, my own goals and ideas are puny compared with the variety of possibilities out in great, wide, living world. I could miss a lot of living because of my comparatively narrow vision and self-focus.