Are You Really the Master of Your Fate?

My last blog touched many a raw nerve and I received dozens of responses. There is a LOT of interest in delving deeper into the question of destiny vs. free will.

In the West – and increasingly in the East as well – we resonate with the ringing declaration of William Ernest Henley in his poem “Invictus.”

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

We are taught and encouraged to believe that we can do anything, achieve any result. All that is needed is education, dedication, hard work and skillful application of the principles we learn from those who have achieved immense success.

There are business bestsellers that purport to lay bare the ‘secrets’ of those who became famous from Alexander the Great through Attila the Hun to Elon Musk.

In Search of Excellence was a 1980’s bestseller that told you why companies did well over time based on the author’s research. The majority of companies mentioned there no longer exist or are in deep trouble.

Here is the troubling question I raise in my last blog.

What if your belief is simply not true? What if those individuals and companies became rich and famous because that was their destiny? Because that is what was ‘written’ for them?

What if, no matter how much you strive, you will only reach that which is ‘written’ for you?

Many find these questions deeply troubling. They lash out saying that the question itself reflects a ‘defeatist’ mentality. That, of course, they can overcome all obstacles to reach great success. And they point to many examples of people who have done so.

The sage Vidyaranya in his classic text Panchadasi declares:

That which is destined to happen will happen no matter how much you strive to prevent it.
That which is destined not to happen will not happen no matter how much you try to achieve it.
Know this to be the truth. This knowledge is the antidote to anxiety and sorrow.

A frequent pushback – as I mentioned in my previous blog – is “If everything is destined, why should I do anything? I will lie back and watch TV all day.”

Try it. You will not succeed unless lying back and watching TV all day is ‘written’ for you. Your very nature will prevent you from doing this.

Look back on your life. Can you recall a time when you struggled mightily to accomplish something and you almost succeeded and should have succeeded but did not?

In the 2019 Wimbledon final Roger Federer had two match points against Novak Djokovic. He was leading 8-7, 40-15 in the fifth set. It should have been a done deal. Federer was famous for getting out of tight spots with his pinpoint service.

Federer lost.

Can you recall something that happened to give you a great boost? Something unexpected that came out of the blue. Something that you did not work for.

Fred Smith, founder of Federal Express was down to his last $5,000 and unable to meet payroll and pay for fuel costs. The company would have gone into bankruptcy on Monday. On the Friday before that Smith went to Las Vegas and won big. That kept the company going for one more week and he was able to arrange additional financing in that week. Federal Express did not just become a successful company. It launched the overnight delivery business.

Sage Vidyaranya’s teachings are profound. They are indeed the antidote to sorrow and will enable you to live a joyous life. There are similar proclamations in other wisdom traditions.
Matthew 10-29/31 says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Proverbs 16-33 says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord."

Yes, everything is destined. Everything is ‘written.’

But you do not know what is ‘written’ and will never know till the time comes.

So, you do your level best to achieve your goal. You strive, but you strive with the knowledge that the outcome is not under your control, and you are at peace with that. The striving produces learning and growth, and that is the benefit to you.

Then the box is opened and one of the waveforms collapses and you know whether Schrodinger's cat is alive or dead.

When you truly, deep down, accept that whatever happens is the way it should be and it cannot be otherwise, a deep peace falls on you. You are no longer anxious about anything that happens to you. Each day becomes a blast, and it is wonderful in its own way.

You recognize that you are not special and in that recognition is complete freedom.

In a popular Bollywood song – one of my favorites – the poet sings that there were many like him who came, sang their song and went away. And tomorrow there will be a better singer performing before a better audience. But today, he is the one linked to this particular audience.

You can listen to it here.

And the same song with English subtitles is here.

Relax and be a grain of sand on a beach.

Peace!