a meaning of "a lot is happening"

[Sweetpumpkin]

Hi, all English gurus,

I have a question on the meaning of 'a lot is happening' in this paragraph below:

The out-of-control life. This kind of living destroys everything around you. It's explosive with a lot of anger, issues, destructive power and undisciplined actions. It may seem like a lot is happening, but it leads to destruction in all areas.

Here, "a lot" could mean "many things" but I'm confused because 'is', a singular type of be is following after it. I'm not sure. What does it mean in the context? Please let me know!

Thank you in advance,

sweetpumpkin

[Mister Micawber]

'A lot' as a pronoun does mean many things or much (in quantity), but this idiom is singular in form and function, so it takes the singular verb. When in becomes a quantifier however, modifying a noun, the noun determines the verb number:

A lot of sugar was spilt.
A lot of my friends were there.

This accord can extend beyond the sentence: All of my friends were there. A lot were drunk.
So in your sentence, I supppose that the writer was thinking, 'A lot [of stuff] is happening.'
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's