“Character is destiny.”
Heraclitus (544 BC – 483BC) Greek philosopher
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) English dramatist
“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”
Jean de La Fontaine (1621 – 1695) French poet
“Anatomy is destiny.”
Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Austrian psychologist
“Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) American businessman
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Five quotes. Five notable voices from the past. All ruminating on the same word - destiny. What is it? Where does it come from? And perhaps most importantly – if indeed there is such a thing, where might it be taking each and every one of us? Pretty hefty thoughts behind such a simple-looking word.
Webster’s Dictionary defines destiny as “a predetermined course of events often held to be an irresistible power or agency.” Makes sense, I guess (though I’m not real keen on the word ‘agency’ in there). It’s one of those words that seem to defy a simple, declared definition. To some the concept of destiny may mean little or nothing at all. To others it may mean everything. So how does one definition or theory fit all?
To a philosopher like Heraclitus it's clear that a person’s strength of character - or lack thereof- of is the determining factor in what will ultimately befall him. In Freud’s psychoanalytical world it all comes down to genetics and whether one is born a man or woman. Shakespeare said that destiny is not so much heaven-sent as it is earth-bound by what we ourselves choose to do. Steve Jobs took a more pragmatic approach, saying that destiny is more or less a tool we can use to discern and dig deeper within ourselves for answers. And then de La Fontaine said that whatever it is, our fate or destiny may lie in places not at all expected.
Is all this the stuff of dreams and idle thought, nothing more? Or is it somehow real? Is the course of our lives already predetermined? Or are we, in essence, rolling dice every morning when we get up out of bed? Maybe part of the problem is that destiny is too often equated only with great deeds or accomplishments. But if one person has a destiny, doesn't everyone?
Those answers can only be found deep within one’s own beliefs, faith and hunches, with maybe a little sweat and good luck mixed in for good measure. Be it great or not so great, I like to believe there is a destiny for all of us. It’s found somewhere in the life we live every day.
But if you’re looking for answers to the future – good luck. Inevitably there are times in anyone’s life when a sneak preview of coming attractions would be nice. Then again, maybe not. We best keep Hollywood endings reserved for Hollywood. I know at one time in my younger life I dreamed of creating an actual Hollywood story. This right here is probably as close as I’ll ever get to that one.
Bottom line - who the hell knows?
And if you’d like you can quote me on that.
