circumstances beyond one's control

Organizers’ announcements for nearly all of the canceled events cited “force majeure,” a term that means circumstances beyond one’s control — and, in China, has often been used as shorthand for government pressure.

“If voters or policymakers perceive people receiving welfare as different from themselves, they may believe that welfare dependency is caused more by personal shortcomings than by circumstances beyond one’s control.”

The most impressive track for me remains a ballad called “Moments,” which describes losing a girlfriend to circumstances beyond one’s control.