Essay: Fate

Fate is a predetermined end for someone’s life or a force that control events. Many people believe that no matter what they do they cannot change what’s going to happen to them, this would also say that you have no agency. This means that you have absolutely no say in what you are going to do. But this means that people who do bad things cannot stop doing those things unless fate wills it. Fate can be rationalized because people can say that even though it was a strange turn of events it was what fate decided would happen. This is why people usually believe in fate, because it can’t be disproved but it can’t exactly be proved either. Even if it only might exist many people believe in fate, possibly because it removes fault from the person, and allows them to do whatever they want because they believe that whatever they are doing is what fate is making them do.

Many believe that life is uncontrollable, that its outcome is determined by a force called fate that supposedly controls all of the events that happen in a person’s life. Some people may use this definition or belief to their advantage and say that they are destined to rule the world or even kill someone. If this person can convince people that this is true then they can gain much political or at least social power, those that decide that they are destined to kill someone probably wont gain any kind of real power however. It is possible that fate exists but we all have choices and if someone does what they are supposed to they will accomplish their fate but still have a say in the specifics of what their fate means. Technically death could be considered fate and because it happens to every one people can say that fate is real because they can also say that everyone is fated to die. Though many aspects of life are uncontrollable life is usually in the control of the person living it. Sometimes ones fate can be exactly what the person wants to do or accomplish. In which case ones fate would be more of a goal than a doom.

The reason that many peoples and cultures believe in fate is because either their shamen make general predictions or because they cannot disprove fate. The deepest underlying reason that fate is believed in is because it cannot be disproved. One could say that it doesn’t exist but that person could not give solid evidence for their conclusion. One could also say that fate does exist but that person couldn’t give solid enough evidence to convince skeptics either. Due to this fact many people neither strongly believe or doubt fate. It is simply accepted as something to blame troubles on, or is otherwise ignored. Blame is also a reason that people don’t forget about fate. Many people blame everything on fate and hate it, but they still think that it is fates fault that something bad happened. It is possible that it is fates fault but most likely that person did something stupid and are now facing the consequences.

In some cases people use fate as an excuse to do whatever they want. For example in series called The Wheel of Time there is a country called Shara in which certain ‘servants’ kill or assassinate the current emperor or empress and basically whoever they want. They claim that it is the will of the pattern, otherwise known as fate, that whoever they killed or assassinated was to die. This form of belief of fate is often used as an excuse by people to do whatever they want, in our society this excuse is less powerful because the justice system does not believe in using fate as evidence during the judgment. However in the past, such as the Middle Ages or early renaissance, this excuse would carry quite a bit of weight and could possibly prove the person innocent of any crime. As mentioned in the earlier example when enough people believe in fate strongly people can potentially take advantage of that belief and gain power over them to do what ever they want.

Though there are many examples here that could prove or disprove fate, and even some that say that fate can be used in a wrong way against believers. I believe in fate but my belief says that someone’s fate is accomplished only when that person does what they are supposed to and is usually a good thing. When it is not accomplished in this life my belief says that if that person was doing right their fate will be accomplished in the next life. Fate is more of a guiding force than a controlling force. It pushed one towards ones fate but that fate can sometimes be avoided and that usually isn’t a good thing. Weather or not fate truly controls of predetermines events we still have control over our actions. If someone felt like they where supposed to walk one way that person could potentially walk the other way. Though some might say that the way the person went was fates original plan or predetermined choice. That could also be said of the other way and that is why people cannot disprove fate.