Noooooo!

Why did I have to lose that key? Why did they have to let me go? Why did he have to fail me?

Why did this have to happen?!?!

Last week, we addressed the issue of why bad things happen. Or more specifically, why God allows bad things to happen. In answering such a philosophical question, we took a philosophical approach.

But what about the realities of everyday life? Most of us aren’t going to lose our job and blame it on the Fall of Adam and Eve. Nor are we blaming that teacher for failing us because we know he too has “free will.” Reality, unfortunately, hits too close to home for that.

Sometimes it helps to compare our everyday problems to the ordinary and yet devastating problems of other people. Or perhaps, the ordinary yet devastating problems of monsters.

Caution: Monster Spoilers Ahead!

Now most people aren’t looking to break the all-time scare record. But not unlike other human students, Mike Wazowski has a dream. He goes into his first day of college dedicated to achieving that dream. He might just do it—he is a smart, passionate, and painstakingly hardworking, un-scary though he is. He insists that he absolutely must pass that final exam to stay in the Scare Program. He might have done it too—maybe—if it hadn’t been for James P. Sullivan.

As a freshman in college, Sully has not yet become the laid back, teddy-bearish, kind-hearted monster who becomes a hero to Boo and all the other children in the human world. In fact, at age 18, “hero” is probably the last thing to describe him. He’s cocky and lazy. He thinks his dad’s name combined with natural talent should be enough to pass any scare exam. However, he learns that he’s wrong—thanks to that little twerp Mike Wazowski.

Sully’s not going to allow Mike’s good grades make him look like a fool.  He decides to initiate an individual scaring competition between the two of them during the final exam—with disastrous consequences. The noise alerts the attention of the greatest scarer of all time: Dean Hardscrabble.

Although the dean doesn’t send them out immediately, she does decide to ask each of them an exam question. Sully can’t answer it because he hasn’t studied. Mike answers it, but according to the dean, he’s just not scary enough. Both get kicked out of the scare program.

And now it’s over.

Maybe Sully deserved to be kicked out. It’s not like he tried to make good grades. But Mike did try. And was told he wasn’t good enough.

Why did that stupid overgrown monster have to come here anyway? How could Dean Hardscrabble judge me like that? How could I have allowed myself to be distracted? How could this happen?

These are the sorts of questions that we ask ourselves when something really bad happens. We lost our job. We failed the test. We didn’t make it into the play. Our best friend can’t come back to school. It’s even worse when we had little or nothing to do with it. Then life just doesn’t seem fair.

We often wonder what would’ve happened if this or that hadn’t gotten in the way. A famous children’s book once said that this is something no one is ever told. However, it also stated that we can still know what will happen. We know that Mike taught Sully the value of hard work and team effort. We know that Sully inspired Mike to put aside the security of one’s job to do what’s right. We know that they went on to become the best scaring team. And most importantly, we know that they became best friends.

It’s hard to feel anything except a severe disappointment when things go wrong. Maybe it wasn’t fair what happened. Maybe our lives will never be the same. But once the first shock passes, we can try and remember that there may be a reason for it. And not a bad reason either. A good one. One that never could’ve come about if that bad thing hadn’t happened first.

So, unlike their classmates, Mike and Sully never got a scaring degree. But they did get a life-long best friend. I think we all know who got the better deal.