A Typical Atypical

Is it just meant to be? October 30, 2009

I have been thinking about fate at the moment. I have been thinking of the way that throughout my life, things just “happen” to me. Life will be tough, and just as it gets too much the universe throws me a rope, something happy enough to distract me from my moodiness, to make everything seem OK. In the same vein, I can search for something for ages – but it never reveals itself until I really need it, at that point where I am about to turn away and give up the fight.

I don’t, however, believe in fate. I believe that decision, and consequence, and happenstance, all contribute inextricably to my life. Getting up in the morning and going about my day leads me to a predictable set of events, all be it with a little dose of chaos and unpredictability thrown in. Do I believe that all these things happen as part of some long winding yet pre-prepared road, set in stone for me and me alone? No. No I don’t.

However, in my head that butterfly effect theory, the idea that a butterfly beating its wings in japan could tripped and earthquake in America? That as a metaphor makes sense to me. After all, a major life lesson is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, that every decision or step has a consequence, either for you, or your friends, or the world around you. Ambition, and free will, all contribute to our decisions and life choices, as does the way you are brought up, the food you eat, the things you see. It is useless to look at your life and see it as unchangeable – and it is equally useless to look at your life and ignore the connection it has to the environment around you.

That, you see, is the thing. Whether or not fate exists, we cannot exist with that in our mind. Fate would cause inaction, decisions would be unmakeable, if we believed in fate so strongly and religiously then it is quite feasible that that would stop us walking any path at all, let alone our “destined” one. Fate is the greatest and the oldest paradox! Assuming you have the power to mold and change your own life – now that is what inspires us to be bold, to be brave, to make changes and create a life that we can love and be proud of.

Just remember though – luck and coincidence and accidents – they are the things that make life so enjoyable, the things that make decisions so hard to make, the things that can bring us crashing down or build us up into the sky. No matter how much you believe you can control your life, no matter how much you can beat fate – sometimes it just won’t work, and in the end chaos and the universe always have the upper hand – and at least 5 Aces!