“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
Do you agree with WS’s thoughts around destiny? Seems like he makes a good point. We often hear other things, forces, and beliefs linked to personal destiny. And, really, all or any of them could be true. We don’t really know, do we?
― William Shakespeare
Sometimes most of us think our destiny is simply out of our hands; at other times, we’re certain we’ve created our own destiny through hard work, taking smart risks, pursuing challenging goals, or being in the right place at the right time. The precise role of self is often difficult to pin down though, isn’t it?
But when things simply refuse to fall into place we’re more likely to blame destiny, aren’t we? I’m not sure why that is exactly. Maybe it’s true, or maybe we don’t know how we could have impacted our life and world differently or better, so we readily chalk it up to something unseen and lacking precise definition.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson puts it this way. Sounds quite a bit like WS, doesn’t it? He’s putting the responsibility squarely in our laps. But while this may be the case, uncertainty and unpredictability are the way of the universe, as well. Things do happen that our well beyond our control. All the time. Of course, how we respond to those events and significant moments can also be linked to how we create or imagine our own destiny.
I suspect that the circumstances we’re born into are certainly linked to our destiny. Place. People. Culture. Environment. All of these people and things become “us” when we are born. Our inner worlds are then nurtured and guided within this reality because they are inherent to our surroundings during our growing-up years. So is this our destiny to overcome, to celebrate, to treasure, to explore and expand, to define, or to merely try to ignore?
It’s a fascinating subject. One we never quite come to terms with … fully.
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.” ― Thomas Merton, “Love and Living”
For Merton, love is the most relevant piece of this puzzle. And perhaps he is right. Love and destiny do seem intertwined for many of us. Choices are made based on love all the time. Maybe we actualize our destiny by experiencing love and learning from the ups and downs of any relationship we value. It’s a good topic to ponder this summer. Enjoy!
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