Alluding to fate is often a crutch or a solace, depending upon the situation but as you have pointed out, fate is often in one's own hands. Birth is fate, rest is in your hands.
Very pragmatic. Fate is conveniently used to cover up one’s reckless or foolish actions/behaviour which do not end well. But as you have written sometimes it is fated.
If we resign ourselves to negative events in life attributing all of them to fate, while in reality, on analysing, we may well find that some of them indeed are, while others are not, then we may get overwhelmed by negativity, which we know, is bad. How ever, if we analyse the event, and take corrective steps , to the extent that there were really controllable elements in that fate, then we create our destiny.. ie moving on from assumed fate to charting our destiny. So it's possible, I think that fate and destiny, two contrasting terms can be inter related too.
I think there is randomness both positive and negative out there.... We could call that fate or luck. We are a small part of a huge system and therefore we can only try but can't be sure of outcome which are also depended on the larger system randomness. If we "try with risk" the "outcome risk" also increases both positive and negative. If we take a middle of the road approach outcomes will be less dramatic.
I also believe that our lives are largely an outcome of our cummaltive choices over time. Some people take decisions optimistically with clarity and some are just misty optically and that shows over time.
A difficult one to parse, given that we as Indians, hold a deep collective unconscious that believes in fate - we call it karma. I, for one, believe that we make choices that then have consequences. If these turn out to be negative, we blame it on fate, if positive, we say its good karma or luck. But, as Shakespeare said "The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
For long I have been guided by this quote of political theorist John Schaar:
"The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination."
It helps me be at peace with myself rather than blame something or someone. This said, I also believe that some events and processes are set off by some universal force we do not yet know or understand. Do we call this God, Supreme Power or the Universe or the Pattern?
It was fateful for me to read your post today. I remembered of an incident where my brother refused to travel by flight in someone's name (it was at a time when he had hardly travelled by flight and he could have succumbed to the temptation). I was very young and didn't understand the reason why he couldn't travel in someone's ticket. Subsequently, I have read many about incidents where accidents took place and understood the significance of his refusal, but somewhere I also feel there was a divine intervention. I consider divine intervention also a part of fate and fate need not have a negative connotation. I believe in the idiom -Destiny Drives the Destination or Destination Drives the Destiny.. If the comment reads a bit off side, it is fated to be so.):-
Alluding to fate is often a crutch or a solace, depending upon the situation but as you have pointed out, fate is often in one's own hands. Birth is fate, rest is in your hands.
Very pragmatic. Fate is conveniently used to cover up one’s reckless or foolish actions/behaviour which do not end well. But as you have written sometimes it is fated.
Very interesting, Prasanna. I'm glad you brought out taking ownership for one's actions and not playing the blame card.
Fate is a most often a comfort word which is useful when shrugging off responsibility. Is it tempting Fate to say so?
Yes Nisha. You are spot on.
Fate vs Destiny ..both possibly are sane but used in different context possibly!! Destiny is more towards Good Happening regards Cdr
Right you are Sir.
If we resign ourselves to negative events in life attributing all of them to fate, while in reality, on analysing, we may well find that some of them indeed are, while others are not, then we may get overwhelmed by negativity, which we know, is bad. How ever, if we analyse the event, and take corrective steps , to the extent that there were really controllable elements in that fate, then we create our destiny.. ie moving on from assumed fate to charting our destiny. So it's possible, I think that fate and destiny, two contrasting terms can be inter related too.
Thank you Jai for the interesting perspective.
I think there is randomness both positive and negative out there.... We could call that fate or luck. We are a small part of a huge system and therefore we can only try but can't be sure of outcome which are also depended on the larger system randomness. If we "try with risk" the "outcome risk" also increases both positive and negative. If we take a middle of the road approach outcomes will be less dramatic.
I also believe that our lives are largely an outcome of our cummaltive choices over time. Some people take decisions optimistically with clarity and some are just misty optically and that shows over time.
Very profound indeed TK. Thank you.
A difficult one to parse, given that we as Indians, hold a deep collective unconscious that believes in fate - we call it karma. I, for one, believe that we make choices that then have consequences. If these turn out to be negative, we blame it on fate, if positive, we say its good karma or luck. But, as Shakespeare said "The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
For long I have been guided by this quote of political theorist John Schaar:
"The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination."
It helps me be at peace with myself rather than blame something or someone. This said, I also believe that some events and processes are set off by some universal force we do not yet know or understand. Do we call this God, Supreme Power or the Universe or the Pattern?
You have given a lot of food for thought.
It was fateful for me to read your post today. I remembered of an incident where my brother refused to travel by flight in someone's name (it was at a time when he had hardly travelled by flight and he could have succumbed to the temptation). I was very young and didn't understand the reason why he couldn't travel in someone's ticket. Subsequently, I have read many about incidents where accidents took place and understood the significance of his refusal, but somewhere I also feel there was a divine intervention. I consider divine intervention also a part of fate and fate need not have a negative connotation. I believe in the idiom -Destiny Drives the Destination or Destination Drives the Destiny.. If the comment reads a bit off side, it is fated to be so.):-
SNV,
Thank you for sharing this unnerving incident. Divine intervention indeed.