~Fate or Fiction?~
Growing up, my father taught me a golden rule. If you want to remain friends with someone, never discuss religion or politics. Sorry Pop, you may not want to read further.
Having spent five years as a Legislative Assistant, the second part of the golden rule flew out the window in my early twenties (no, I am not going to tell you for what political party or how long ago that was). Still, I have always remained true to the first part. Until now, that is.
If you have read any of my previous posts, it is no secret that I modeled my heroine’s personality in Spur of the Moment after my own. What you may not know, just like my character Bronwyn, I am also a believer in fate. Yes, I believe in an actual to goodness pre-destined plan for each of us here on planet earth. So now that I just blew the first part of the golden rule out of the water, let me explain my reasoning.
Unfortunately, I am one of those people who cannot remember their dreams. What I can recall are short scenes that make no sense until they actually happen. I am not claiming to be precognitive, but I do on occasion experience déjà vu. If it were for anything worthwhile like seeing a newspaper with the winning lotto numbers, I would be doing somersaults. Alas, I dream of buying bananas at the local grocery store and having a conversation with the cashier.
Through these experiences, I have personally come to believe that there is a divine force guiding me on my path through life. Given freewill, it is up to me to remain on the right path or to find it again if I happen to stray. Having experienced a few dead-ends along the way I finally feel that I am headed in the right direction. How about you?
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This intrigued me as I sometimes too have that feeling. I don’t know why, and yes, it’s almost always some mundane aspect of living. I think we choose our paths, to a huge degree, but I’m also inclined to consider the fact that there may be more to it. Do we really see everything around us? I remember a woman coming up to my stepfather and mentioning something about a favorite item of his son’s and that he was okay and not to worry about him. (He suicided). This woman had never met us before and yet knew everything about this item. And it wasn’t something that would have been known to others either. Just father and son. He still rants on about it.
Thank you so much for commenting, Olwyn. I really enjoy hearing other life experiences.
To stray off topic a bit, you have a beautiful name.
Candace, I feel the same way. People look at me like I’m weird or something when I tell them this, but it’s the way I feel.
My main character in my story, David, is slowly realizing that he cannot twist fate. If he does, he ends up on a wrong path and the journey to get where he needs to go ends up taking twice as long. (did that make sense?
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I believe in my own life that we are all set for ‘greatness’ in our own way. Greatness does not necessarily mean fame. It could mean you make the best apple pies this side of the Mississippi, or you’re a great mentor, a role model. You might become a dancer when everyone said you’d never be able to walk. I was meant to write. I’ve had people tell me this (teachers, friends, people at work) all of my life and I took a different direction because I thought it was best for me. Guess what. Here I am, all these years later, writing. It is fate. This is my destiny. And may I say I am so very glad you wrote this post.
Thank you, Jen. I’m glad to see that others feel the same way.
Your story explanation makes perfect sense and one I would definitely love to read.
I’m glad you followed the writing path. Best of luck.
Candace, what I firmly believe in is Potential. I believe that we all have the power to fulfil our own potential, and that if we stay true to ourselves, live in harmony with the world around us, and follow the path that is right for our lives, we will all achieve what we were born to achieve. I’m not sure if that’s the same as Fate.
God gave us free will, so I don’t believe that Fate is something which happens no matter what we do. We can influence our lives, and those of the people around us, for good or for evil. But I do believe that there is a Plan, and that we feel better, and live better, if we follow it.
I also believe in deja vu, and that some people are gifted with foreknowledge. I have experienced it myself in minor ways. It’s not something I would put any reliance on, and I don’t think it can be defined absolutely as either a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just something that certain people are more sensitive to than others.
There’s definitely much more to Life than any of us know, and I, for one, find this deliciously exciting.
Glad to have come to know you on this ride!
I’m so glad we connected, Cas. Thanks for commenting, I love the insight.
Thoughtful piece, Candace. I also believe that we are given choices in life by a higher power and we are given the chances to learn from them. I believe our souls are ancient whether you believe in reincarnation or not. We are much more than we give ourselves credit for and much less than we should or could be. Deja Vu is a been there, done that moment that you know wasn’t in this lifetime. I, too, was told not to bring up politics and religion as a child, perhaps that’s why I have based my trilogy on those subjects. Poetic license is a wonderful thing.
Thank you for commenting, Launa. I so agree, poetic license is truly a wonderful thing.
I definitely believe in a divine force.
I was once on my way downtown when I suddenly felt such a powerful, invisible force pushing me away that I altered my course and returned home. Fifteen minutes later, an explosion occurred downtown near my original destination. I’ve had other, less dramatic incidents of an inexplicable nature. I’m not sure if that means that at least some aspects of our lives are destined, or if it means some people are more attuned to aspects of the universe outside the normal ken. In either case, it is fascinating.
Thanks for posting on such an intriguing topic.
That is an incredible story, Alexandra. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve had moments like this, too. I call them synchronicities. It’s the same as thinking of a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time and then all of a sudden the phone rings and the friend is on the other end. Or you’re singing a song in your mind and you turn on the radio and the song is playing in the exact spot where you were singing it. And what about car accidents or plane accidents where all but one or two people die when by all counts, everyone should be dead. These events are what I call fate. In your case, you weren’t meant to die at that moment. There is something more you are to accomplish in this life. This sort of thinking may seem bonkers to some, but it is how I get through things in life. Yes, we all have free will, but it is when we stray from the destined path that things mess up, in my opinion. If we listen to our hearts, to what the universe tells us, I believe we can avoid a lot of heartache and pain.
I love this blog. Thank you, Candace.
You definitely touched on topics to further my own beliefs, Jen. Thank YOU for commenting.
A few nights ago Rhett and I were around town running errands and fulfilling various evening commitments. We completed a particular task that was of larger importance but had taken us a long time to decide what path we wanted our decision to take. At the time we made the decision we were still not positive it was what needed to occur, but were out of time and had to make it right then.
When our task was completed we walked to the car and sat down. Rhett said he had a feeling of Deja Vu. For us we felt that was a good thing. In the past we have had Deja Vu moments and when they occur we have always felt it was because we just made the right decision when two tough ones were placed before us.
Like Cas I believe in the free agency we are given to make choices, but I also believe that each person on this earth is here to fulfill a purpose no matter how small or large it may be. Call it fate, or destiny or a bit of deja vu, I believe each of us creates it ourself with our hard work. For me I also want to throw in that help I get from my creator on high.
I loved this post and the insight so many have shared.
Thank you, Emmaline.