HOW TO EXPLAIN DESTINY

BEYOND THE BLOG
Posted by anthonynorth on June 17, 2008

We’ve all heard of destiny, but what is it? Is it some guiding force within the universe looking after us, or is it a total fantasy? As often happens, ideas on the subject fall into one camp or the other. But maybe most sense lies in the middle ground.
If we were to adopt this position, then we’d have to accept that a ‘force’ DOES have an effect upon our lives, but rather than being some omnipotent supernatural influence, it could be grounded in things we have a fair idea about.

We already have names for its influence.

On the one hand we have Sod’s Law, or the Cosmic Joker. This is for when destiny is cruel. Or alternatively, a fortuitous run at gambling is its opposite influence.
Divination attempts to capture the ‘reality’ of our destiny. From Astrology to the Tarot, it is thought that what we are and what we do is somehow tied up within the fabric of universal influences upon which we have no control.

There are problems with this idea.

Most obviously, free will. The philosophical argument is simple. If our destiny is pre-set, then deviation is impossible. So what is the point of our ability to make decisions? It becomes, in effect, a pointless, unrequired ability.
Divination does, however, make more sense if we reverse it. Thus, instead of laying out a ‘future’, it actually has an effect on the mind, answering questions we are undecided about, and offering answers that confirm where we think we want to go. In this sense, divination is more a system of counseling than predictive.

Society also has an effect on our future.

Through stereotyping and other social and cultural pressures, we all find that we slot into a ‘type’. In this way, society allows us to advance, or come upon a brick wall that inhibits us. Often, the individual has little control over this process.
Coincidences can also appear to confirm destiny. Jung noted that some coincidences are full of meaning for the person. He applied the term ‘synchronicity’ to them, and they appear significantly more than simple random events. Is this some miraculous ‘outer’ force, deciding our destiny?

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