Why me?
I often find myself asking, “Why me?” noticeably high when things go wrong. When plans collapse, when opportunities slip through my fingers, or when pain overstays its welcome—I whisper, “Why me, God?” But then I realize something: I never asked that question when life was being generous. When I was gifted a loving family, supported by kind strangers, or blessed in ways I didn’t even notice, I never looked up in joy and asked “Why me?”
It’s easy to question life in hard times. It’s human. But isn’t it a little unfair that we reserve the question “Why me?” only for suffering? I never asked “Why me?” when I passed school with ease, or when I had the financial security to pursue my dreams while others juggled dreams and responsibilities I was spared from. I never questioned the —privileges that kept me safe, opportunities that found me, kindness that held me, even when I didn’t see it.”
When I failed in the JEE, or didn’t get the things I always longed for, I was heartbroken. The question resurfaced: “Why me?” But now I realize that pain is not a punishment. It’s a passage—an experience that everyone walks through in some form.
Maybe the better question is:
- “What now?”
- “What do I make of this?”
- “What do I learn?”
- “Can I carry this pain with grace, the same way I carried joy without question?”
Life is not a balance sheet of gains and losses—it’s a journey of perspective. The same world that brings me sorrow is also the one that gave me sunsets, laughter, books that changed my life, and people who stayed even when I didn’t expect them to. So maybe instead of asking “Why me?” only during storms, I should whisper it in gratitude during calm too.
In the end, this question—“Why me?”—has become my mirror. It reflects not just my pain, but also my grace. It reminds me to honor both my blessings and my burdens. Because both have shaped me. And perhaps life isn’t about finding answers to “Why me?” but about learning to live deeply, no matter the question.
So now, when I look back—at the good, the bad, the beautifully confusing—I hold both in my hands and ask the same question, “Why me?” Not to find blame or reason, but to stay humbled by the mystery of it all. Maybe the better answer is: Because life chose me to live this exact path. And maybe, that’s all the reason I’ll ever need.
"You are living someone else’s answered prayer. Don’t forget to be grateful." — Jay Shetty
Suffering asked, ‘Why me?’ Grace answered, ‘Because you were meant to become light.’