Monday, June 22, 2009

My two cents on Destiny...

Just like the last few entries, I wrote this one because I was asked to rather than choosing to. If it seems contrived, there is a very good reason: it is.
Destiny: We Make It / We Take It

Until the term “destiny” was coined, until a belief in fate took root, how did people explain events like the incomprehensible failure of the rains to turn up on schedule, drying out their crops? How did they manage to console themselves when faced with unprecedented catastrophes and turmoil? When, indeed, did mankind hit upon this catch-all phenomenon, and was it only during misfortune that it was resorted to? Or did our ancestors, unlike most of us today, give credit for their achievements to good fortune, or did they boast that their efforts were responsible for their success? Is fate a game played by some higher being, the one best described by us so far as God? Or is that even God only writes what is going to happen, with no intention, or power, of modifying it? Will we ever be able to answer such questions?

It is easy to realize why destiny came to be thought of at all; and also easy to realize why it came so closely associated with religion. It is no wonder that as mankind gets increasingly “developed” the number of people believing in the gospel of science increases at the cost of those who swear by God. But it does seem that God is destined to be around for much longer. How else can global warming, HIV, H1N1, hydrogen bombs and all the other threats be explained? These will have to be overcome before the agnostics can claim victory. But then, they were already celebrating when Newtonian physics had described everything. The believers were destined to fight on – this became apparent when quantum physics showed up on the scene.

Since very few scientists claim to completely understand what quantum physics and mechanics really signify, it is perhaps pointless to try and read too much into it. Yet, there are thousands of laypersons who have heard of Schrödinger’s cat; who are curious to know whether the cat is alive or dead, but who realize that the very act of ascertaining this could kill the cat. Or ensure that it won’t be killed, not this way at least. And this is the tool that can be used against those hardcore believers in destiny who try to find out what’s in store for them.

These are the ones who are so much sold on the idea that they would want to read their fortune beforehand, rather than sticking around to see what happens. Even the most agnostic, non-superstitious person would admit that there is no explanation why s/he was late for the local train the very day it was attacked by terrorists. They would just accept it and move on. But, for every rational human being, there must be at least one superstitious one. That’s the one who would have his palm read, his horoscope analyzed, his house given the once-over by Vaastu experts, his name re-spelt by numerologists and so on and so forth, thus in the process actually looking for ways to thwart their so-called destiny. If it can be thwarted, surely a more rewarding, if not reliable, way would be to strive in the human plane rather than the metaphysical; by looking inwards and introspecting?

“Hitler was Germany’s fate, and this fate could not be avoided” said Field Marshall Brauchitsch, the Commander-in-Chief of the German army till midway through the Second World War. While this statement admittedly has some pithiness about it, on closer inspection, it actually is a tacit acknowledgement by people like Brauchitsch that they were not good enough, or strong enough, or both, to ensure that their Fatherland and the World would avoid this fate. But saying so in so many words probably requires the same kind of strength that would have been required to stand up to that Austrian-born former Corporal. Why didn’t they have this strength? Or, why did people who might have had it, not been in positions that mattered? Destiny, perhaps.

It is thus easy to understand why destiny has such a large following: it is the simplest explanation, the easiest answer, to most questions. But there will always be those who feel it is possible to be in complete control of oneself and one’s surroundings. And they will defend their turf as fanatically as the aforementioned believers-in-fate. Which school of thought should one subscribe to then?

It is quite evident that neither of these schools is infallible, each has loopholes, glaring ones in their philosophy. Perhaps the best that one can do is keep in mind the objective: what will be gained by following either of these two? How will our lives be affected?

A true believer in destiny will perhaps have nothing to fear. Ever. Indeed, such a person would be following the path laid down in the Bhagavad Geeta. After all, if everything is foreordained, it certainly becomes easier to not worry about the outcomes and concentrate on the actions. And when that person does achieve what s/he set out to, s/he can remain humble by acknowledging that it was all meant to be.

At the other end is a true believer in free will. This worthy would never give up despite any number of hindrances that would keep on suggesting, at the back of his mind, that he is not destined to succeed. He would then, by sheer will power and hard work, achieve a lot. And anyone who has achieved success the hard way will vouch that such success speaks for itself; the achiever would not demean it by bragging about it.

The unfortunate truth is that very few are true believers in destiny or in free will. Most fall somewhere in between, swinging from one end to the other conveniently or unwillingly. Some put in efforts but give in when faced by some unfortunate facts and get converted to the destiny school. Others fall in the trap of the negative aspect of destiny: fatalism. If it meant to be, why bother trying? Or taking the effort? It is then that they get forcibly converted to the free will school. When they fail to achieve what they thought they were destined to, the value of efforts is suddenly realized and destiny is just a delusion. After all, they had only thought that it was their destiny to achieve something; if they had tried to ascertain it, the Schrödinger’s-cat-syndrome would have probably done them in.

History is littered with events and people that took place or became, because of a chronology of events surrounding them. When we look back at them now, we know that a certain thing that happened was just a logical effect of a cause that was set in motion somewhere else before. Germany got Hitler because he was shrewd enough and the others around him were malleable enough. They were thus because they had suffered the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles. They had suffered this humiliation because they had inflicted an at least comparable one on Russia by the Treaty of Brest Litovsk. This chain can perhaps be extended several centuries in the past – a long chain of successive causes and effects. Destiny is just an explanation that does the work of a placebo. Every monsoon failure is not due to some butterfly effect straight out of chaos theory; it could actually be due to something like the El Niño Effect instead.

Destiny is thus a nice explanation to have as long as it does not cause us to shirk our responsibility in the situation we are facing. We are facing global warming because we were not knowledgeable enough when we jumped at fossil fuels as manna from heaven. We simply did not know better. But now we do, and we have started changing at least that destiny of ours. HIV and H1N1 and many other such threats are bound to be overcome, not because it is our destiny to do so, but because we have acknowledged them as threats that need to be overcome to ensure our survival. Destiny is a nice pillar to lean on till then. Until we become capable enough to make our own destiny, we will take it as it comes.

2 Comments:

Blogger Dhananjay said...

I know i might sound i fall somewhere in between,of believers in destiny and non believers.. this way i justify it...

Destiny is The Project Plan,
and our Karma makes sure it is implemented...
Karma Needs one to be Believer of Free Will...
God often has great Plans for every one...It is how we implement it decides success of Project...

OOPS... ;)
--
I Read in Todays Morning news paper (TOI),
A Child with 51 fracture , suffering from soft bone or no calcium disease, still he is eying world record from swimming....

Over all a Great Blog !! ...

10:16 PM  
Anonymous D V Joshi said...

I posted a comment meant for this on another article,

9:23 AM  

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