What Are We Doing Here? A Discussion of Destiny, Fate & Divine Plan
(first published Feb 2017)
“Our authentic calling, our true work in this world, becomes an outgrowth of our lives. Our work can transform and transcend whatever traumas we survive, turning them into something useful for ourselves and, we hope, for others.”
– Louise DeSalvo, Virginia Woolf scholar
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, both destiny and fate mean “a predetermined state or end.”
Fate implies an inevitable and usually adverse outcome. Whereas destiny implies something foreordained and often suggests a great or noble course or end.
In other words, both fate and destiny infer that some sort of predetermination exits.
As for who or what or where that predetermined outcome originated from? Well, I suspect that answer depends on whatever belief system you happen to be most aligned with.
Regardless of what you believe and/or have personally experienced in life, the idea that our souls are here on earth to fulfill some sort of purpose can be either reassuring (especially if we feel we’re on the “right” track) or unsettling (if we are feeling rather lost and off-track).
Or, if we are of the belief that this whole exercise is just one big chaotic crapshoot that is simply unfolding at random, then although we may not believe in any sort of predetermined plan or individual purpose, that doesn’t necessarily mean our lives don’t have meaning. Rather, our lives may have the meaning we assign to them — versus some larger force.
However, just as I discovered with exploring the possibility of life after death, it wasn’t until after I lost someone very dear to me that I suddenly became VERY interested in whether or not he still existed, in some capacity, after the death of his body.
I suspect it’s the same with destiny, fate and the possibility of our souls having some sort of higher purpose for being here: we may not really think too much about it, until we are forced to…until it really matters.
In my experience, life after a significant loss is when life’s big questions come bubbling to the surface.
I think this is partly because searching for, and perhaps finding, a higher meaning in the wake of a tragedy helps make whatever anguish we may be experiencing a bit more…palatable.
Do you believe in the idea that a “Divine Plan” exists for each of us?
God knows (sorry for the pun) I heard that whispered in my ear enough times in the days and weeks following John’s death. And quite frankly, that particular platitude offered me little in the way of solace. Instead, I was tempted to wind up and punch the person in the nose.
Why?
Because I found it presumptuous that people would tell me that John’s sudden — and easily preventable — death was part of some greater plan schemed up by a God who may or may not even exist…and as such, I best accept it.
To me, the concept reeked of apathy, especially when I realized that this “Divine Plan” is not something any of us mere mortals get to know. Rather, it’s supposed to be enough that a plan exists, so no further questions necessary.
But what is the point of God having some grand plan if no one knows what it IS?
I guess that’s where faith come in…