Fate and Destiny - Say No to a Fatalistic Approach to Life

So many times people get confused about life and about wrong things happening to them or to their dear ones.Some people blame god by saying words like "In any event, destiny is supreme.Whatever has been ordained by the supreme power will come to pass.What can our efforts do to avert it?."Also, sometimes people new to eastern philosophy or Hinduism which advocates in Karma, reincarnation etc. think that the philosophy is fatalistic. Even the people, who are actually following this path are sometimes confused and declare it so.We see this actually adopted by some people, who refuse to take a action when confounded by a difficult situation.

But, the Holy scriptures of India declare this- Fate is surely all-powerful, but we nevertheless receive the results of our own acts. We have free will. The supreme power simply reciprocates with our desires. It is the consequences of our acts which are inevitable, not the acts themselves. You have a choice of making and taking a decision in life, for example in this photo, I was trying to cross a muddy and slippery patch of road, using my LML Vespa scooter, way back in an Indian village. I was lucky and was able to cross without slipping and falling into the muddy waters. Otherwise, my scooter tyres would have skidded, myself including the scooter would have been struck in mud and so on. So, basically here I had a choice in acting in certain way but, the result was not in my hand.

(I thank my childhood friend Kiran for taking this photo.)

In Chapter 5 of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, this point is further clearly explained. The living being desires a certain way and acts accordingly as per his will, the material nature provides a medium for the actions to be carried out and the Lord, as a Supersoul allows and sanctions the desire to be fulfilled. But, the Supreme Lord becoming completely neutral is never responsible for the actions and reactions of a particular situation that are desired by the Soul.The Supersoul being Omnipotent fulfills the desires of a Soul based on what one deserves. Just like the saying, 'Man proposes and God disposes’. God does not interfere with the desires of minute living entity either good or bad.

So, there is karma, fate, the Circumstances, the Star or Horoscope etc. But, it is not all black and white or completely fixed in particular way. Of course, there are things like Birth, death, disease and old age that no one can escape but, a person's fate, destiny is not static but, dynamic, ever changing basing on the actions and decisions we take in life.

As promised, I have updated the photograph below.