Serendipity
Ser-en-dip-i-ty: (n) The act or phenomenon of finding a valuable or positive thing not being sought for. A fortunate coincidence.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I thought our lives were fated to be, or if the things that happen to us are just a series of random coincidences. After some careful consideration I replied that I thought our lives were probably a little bit of each. You see, the romantic/sentamentalist in me wants very much to believe that everything that happens does so for a particular reason, and yet the rational/logical side of me says that people choose what affects them, and they also choose how they react. I think that we as people, are fated to meet certain other people, be placed in certain situations, and be presented with certain opportunities. Once that happens, it's our own choices that matter. Basically, there is fate, but it only takes you so far, because once you're there it's up to you to make it happen. Fair enough?
So then how do you know when it's fate and not just coincidence? I think that one of the best ways to tell is simply this: things fated to happen, happen when we least expect them and when are least prepared for them. Fate is what puts us in the position to make choices that will affect the rest of our lives. So what happens if we make the wrong choice? Or if our lives don't allow us to pursue the opportunities we're fated to have? Is that it? Is something that's fated a 'one shot deal' I seriously doubt it. Fate is, if nothing else, persistent...and even if something doesn't work out quite the way you expected it to, that doesn't mean that it wont ever work out at all. In "Serendipity" which is a great movie about fate and how it works, there's a line:
"Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. But rather it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan."
I think that's exactly right...fate is what pushes us in certain directions, towards certain people and opportunities. Then, if we pay attention, and for the most part, work hard, and make the right decisions, then we all probably do end up pretty much where we were fated to be. It may not be on a schedule we weren't expecting, or with the person or people we were expecting, but there IS a plan, if we choose to follow it. We just have to trust ourselves and each other enough to do that.
A friend of mine recently asked me if I thought our lives were fated to be, or if the things that happen to us are just a series of random coincidences. After some careful consideration I replied that I thought our lives were probably a little bit of each. You see, the romantic/sentamentalist in me wants very much to believe that everything that happens does so for a particular reason, and yet the rational/logical side of me says that people choose what affects them, and they also choose how they react. I think that we as people, are fated to meet certain other people, be placed in certain situations, and be presented with certain opportunities. Once that happens, it's our own choices that matter. Basically, there is fate, but it only takes you so far, because once you're there it's up to you to make it happen. Fair enough?
So then how do you know when it's fate and not just coincidence? I think that one of the best ways to tell is simply this: things fated to happen, happen when we least expect them and when are least prepared for them. Fate is what puts us in the position to make choices that will affect the rest of our lives. So what happens if we make the wrong choice? Or if our lives don't allow us to pursue the opportunities we're fated to have? Is that it? Is something that's fated a 'one shot deal' I seriously doubt it. Fate is, if nothing else, persistent...and even if something doesn't work out quite the way you expected it to, that doesn't mean that it wont ever work out at all. In "Serendipity" which is a great movie about fate and how it works, there's a line:
"Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. But rather it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan."
I think that's exactly right...fate is what pushes us in certain directions, towards certain people and opportunities. Then, if we pay attention, and for the most part, work hard, and make the right decisions, then we all probably do end up pretty much where we were fated to be. It may not be on a schedule we weren't expecting, or with the person or people we were expecting, but there IS a plan, if we choose to follow it. We just have to trust ourselves and each other enough to do that.
posted by CarpeDM | 2:12 AM
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