Your choice or already chosen?

LATELY I’ve been doubting the existence of “destiny” or “fate.” While I’m not religious (much to my parents dismay) I still always felt there has to be more to life than just plodding along for the sake of it and hoping for the best. So the idea that my destiny/fate was pre-ordained gave me great solace, and has left me without any real life regrets.

Crappy day at work – must be for a reason.

Flat tyre on the highway – valuable lesson learnt.

Overspending on  outfit then starving the rest of the week – not my fault, it was destiny!

Lately though I’ve have some obstacles smash me in the face, with no resolution or lesson to be found or learnt. Just smash after crash after bump. Then I found out some news that, although upsetting, made me smile a little (more about this later).

Destiny is defined as a predetermined, inevitable and unchangeable course of events. Destiny is the path paved for you through life whereas fate is the end result, the finality of the destiny path. The problem many people have with destiny (and fate) is that it seems you must accept the notion that freewill is an illusion. This never worried me. As far as I was concerned, it felt like my decisions were based on freewill, so who cares if the answer was predetermined anyway?  

So how much do people believe in or rely on destiny in their lives? 

Does a belief in destiny and fate also require a belief in karma or the notion of soul mates?

Believers in destiny/fate are those most likely to have had the Reason, Season, Lifetime poem strike a chord with them (which I wrote about here). Are they also the same people who go to see psychics? 

When a psychic tells you whats in the future, it must be because it is already set, surely? Otherwise how would they know? Or is it that psychics tell you about a path and you then ensure you pave and follow that path, therefore making the psychics observations accurate and real? Anyone who has been to a good psychic knows the answer to this.  But is seeing a psychic cheating on destiny? Or is it just that psychics are the new psychologists?

While I've been struggling with the mountain of s&%^ life has thrown at me, my first instinct was to go and see a psychic. Why? So they could speak their wisdom and shed some light (and hope) on the current situations and the future. I didn't (only because the best psychic I know of has a six week waiting list). I imagine many people go to see psychics for the same reason, when they are in similar predicaments.

Whatever your belief, as mentioned above something happened recently that refreshed my belief a little.  Just as I was giving up hope, hating the world and wanting to hide under my doona forever, I received the news that made me express a little smile.  Earlier this year I applied for a writing position within a major media outlet. It was for a new project they thought would be revolutionary and highly profitable. I didn't get the job,, but more importantly after just a few months the project was exposed to be neither revolutionary nor profitable so it was cancelled.  Seems it was not within my destiny to be stuffed around in a position that would not last. Faith renewed, at least enough so I can focus my energy on dealing with life;s s%$# a little more clearer and easier. If I am just living out my destiny, then I will come out the other side stronger. 

Do you believe in destiny and/or fate?