The universe is one long chain of actions and reactions, and so is essentially a singular event.
Nothing happens in isolation.
Every occurrence is interwoven with every other, no matter how distant or unrelated they may appear to be, by causes and effects. We humans have a difficult time with this aspect of reality. We like to think of ourselves as autonomous beings, having completely free will, and not being responsible for the events that occur around us. Our bodies may have to participate in this chain of actions and reactions, but we prefer to think our spirits are free of it. Life is so much easier for us when we don't have to accept any responsibility for what the society we live in does.