LIFE WITH FATE

The headlines in today’s Sports Section of the morning newspaper attracted my attention. Not so much because it announced the results of yesterday’s Kentucky Derby, but rather the sequence of events leading up to it. Consider the following events which took place:
-The winning jockey was offered the mount only the night before when his original mount,
which was considered to be the overwhelming favorite, was scratched because of illness.
-The jockey who was originally assigned to the subsequent winner was forced to withdraw
because of an injury he sustained the day before.
-The winning horse was only entered by his trainer after his stable mate, supposedly a much better horse, was withdrawn.
-The winning horse had not raced for more than 6 weeks and had never raced on a dirt track, having been bred as a “grasstrack” racer.

The newspaper correspondent summed this whole sequence in the following terms:

“Perhaps the formula for victory was taking two guys with the worst luck and putting them together with a horse that has never run on dirt.”

The winning jockey, who himself had in past three years experienced deep disappointment when all the mounts to which he was assigned and which were all considered to be unbeatable, were scratched because of illness or injury, was somewhat more philosophical when he offered the following explanation:
“Things happen for a reason. I guess when it is meant for you, it is meant for you.”

As I read this, I was reminded of a statement I had come across sometime ago as part of a contribution written by “Rochelle” of Austin, Texas on the This I Believe series conducted by National Public Radio:

“This I believe, that all things happen for a reason. I believe that we must take

the bad with the good, and that sometimes unanswered prayers are God's

greatest gifts, and faith is the solution to all our problems.

We as humans can do nothing but live in the present. We cannot see what is

to come in the future and can only guess and attempt to make the right choices.

When bad things cross our paths, I believe it is for a reason,

whether that is to build character or to teach us some kind of lesson.

All unfortunate events are accompanied by some sort of positive consequences.

Even tragedies like September 11th, can reap positive outcomes.”

I believe there must be some truth in what they are alluding, and although there are large numbers of very learned people who will have no hesitation to disagree, I myself will tend to favor their view. Not unlike the Arab tradition, which places great store on the role of Fate (“Naseeb”) in all aspects of their lives. They believe there is a certain inevitability or finality in events as they unfold and that, irrespective of our plans or expectations; they will work themselves out in the end.
The great German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, a strong proponent of influence of Fate, coined the Latin term, Amor Fati, which he described as “Love Your Fate, which is in fact your life." He expanded this view in the following quotation:

“The duty of acceptance in all that concerns the will of God,

whatever it may be, was impressed upon my mind as the first

and most necessary of all duties from the time when I found it set

down in Marcus Aurelius under the form of the ‘amor fati’ of the Stoics.

I saw it as a duty we cannot fail in without dishonoring ourselves.”

To Nietzsche, Fate represents an attitude in which one sees everything that occurs in one’s life, including good and bad, joy and sorrow, success and failure or pain and suffering, as a fulfillment of God’s ultimate plan and therefore should be considered beneficial and acceptable. He advocated an acceptance, without question, of the events or situations which occur during one’s lifetime.

But to me Fate is not synonymous with Destiny, although most people seem to think that the words are essentially interchangeable. As I see it, although Fate relates to a fixed sequence of events usually occurring outside the influence of the individual, and resulting in changes that are inevitable or unchangeable, it does not however preclude nor exclude the fact that Fate can be altered or modified by the actions of the individual. The jockey, for example, would not have been successful and therefore Fate would not have applied, had he not accepted to ride that horse in the race. Gloria Estefan, the successful Latin-American pop singer, expressed this accurately when she stated:

“We seal our Fate,
with the choices we make.”

On the other hand, Destiny relates to a sequence of events related to the future and although they may appear to be unalterably predetermined from an external source, it is subject to alteration depending on the choices made by the individual. This leads on to the often confusing argument that individuals can choose their own destiny by selecting different "paths" throughout their lifetime. Even though, in fact, the different courses of action the individuals take nonetheless will lead to a predetermined destiny. William Jennings Bryan, the celebrated American politician and presidential candidate, described this situation most succintly in this manner:

“Destiny is not a matter of chance;
it is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for;
it is a thing to be achieved.”

In the final analysis, whether it was Fate that determined the sequence of events that led the trainer to invite the jockey to ride the particular horse to victory, or Destiny, that predetermined the several unique circumstances necessary to come together beforehand, that ultimately resulted in success, the final victory occurred as a result of the brilliant execution of the jockey as he guided the well-prepared horse to victory.

I can think of no better way to describe the fundamentals of this dilemma than to quote from the great Lord Buddha, one of the world’s greatest spiritual leaders and founder of Buddhist Religion:

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men, however they act;
But I do believe in a fate that falls on them, unless they act.”


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Fate is nothing but the deeds committed in a prior state of existence
……. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Men are not prisoners of fate,
but only prisoners of their own minds
……. Franklin D. Roosevelt

It is what a man thinks of himself,
that really determines his fate.
……. Henry David Thoreau

As punishment for my contempt for authority, fate has made me an authority myself.
…….. Albert Einstein

Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.
…….. Seneca

Fate is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.
………William Jennings Bryan

When Fate hands you a lemon, try making lemonade.
….Dale Carnegie

There is no Fate but your own Fate.
……Leslie Grimutter

Control your Fate, or someone else will do so.
…..Jack Welch

Fate has two ways of crushing us;
-By refusing our wishes, or by fulfilling them.
…..Henri F. Amiel

Go with your Fate, but never beyond;
Beyond leads to dark places.
……Mary Renault

There is no Fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.
….Albert Camus

What separates the winners from the losers,
Is how a person deals with each twist of Fate.
…..Donald Trump