DESTINY SEEMS MATTER OF CHOICE
By OLIVENE GODFREY
Years ago, I had some lively discussions with a fatalist individual who believed that all events of his life had been determined by fate. He accepted every event as something which must happen as it does because it had been predetermined. I don't think his fatalist attitude had been determined by any form of religious doctrine.
But, many persons believe the Christian theology, predestination,which sets forth the belief that eternal destiny of man is determined by God. A belief in some form of predestination is found also in the ancient religions of Greece, China, India and Egypt. And Islam teaches that men are predestined to goodness and happiness and also to evil and misery. In a speech in 1899, W.J. Bryan expressed my beliefs on this subject: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
Of course, there are times when we can't control certain circumstances. And there are times when it does seem that our lives are determined by fate. But, I think of it as a game of cards, with life dealing us our cards. And how we play the cards is up to us. I believe it is in our power to improve the quality of our play as we go along, our whole life through.
We've been told that our personalities are irrevocably fixed by feelings experienced in early childhood. Some tell us that we are lifelong slaves of instinctual drives. Or we are reactive robots,responding mechanistically to prodding s from social and economic necessities. Then there is the belief that we are products of heredity and environment, uncontrollable influences
whose work we could never hope to change. I think there are elements of truth in each of these theories. But, I also believe that we are more than mechanical units, more than slaves of shadowy inner drives and uncontrollable instincts. My beliefs run more to the reality of self-sacrifice, heroism, the giving and strength of love. I believe in hope, striving and wonder, faith and inspiration.
We know that in any venture failure is a possible outcome. We know that everybody can't win. But,in some situations we feel failure so much that we don't even try to win. A lack of self-confidence can make us afraid to act creatively, afraid to change, afraid of the future. So, we shrug our shoulders and sigh, "Why try? I'm a born loser." or we shrug our shoulders and sigh,"It just wasn't meant for me to win" Actually, we all feel some lack of confidence at times. We experience threats to our self-esteem and we feel inferior or unloved. Our ego suffers and we rush to repair the wound.
Greatness lies in dreams. But they are great only to the extent to which they inspire us to work and strive toward them. I do believe in a fate that falls upon those who do not act.
See you next time.
By OLIVENE GODFREY
Years ago, I had some lively discussions with a fatalist individual who believed that all events of his life had been determined by fate. He accepted every event as something which must happen as it does because it had been predetermined. I don't think his fatalist attitude had been determined by any form of religious doctrine.
But, many persons believe the Christian theology, predestination,which sets forth the belief that eternal destiny of man is determined by God. A belief in some form of predestination is found also in the ancient religions of Greece, China, India and Egypt. And Islam teaches that men are predestined to goodness and happiness and also to evil and misery. In a speech in 1899, W.J. Bryan expressed my beliefs on this subject: "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
Of course, there are times when we can't control certain circumstances. And there are times when it does seem that our lives are determined by fate. But, I think of it as a game of cards, with life dealing us our cards. And how we play the cards is up to us. I believe it is in our power to improve the quality of our play as we go along, our whole life through.
We've been told that our personalities are irrevocably fixed by feelings experienced in early childhood. Some tell us that we are lifelong slaves of instinctual drives. Or we are reactive robots,responding mechanistically to prodding s from social and economic necessities. Then there is the belief that we are products of heredity and environment, uncontrollable influences
whose work we could never hope to change. I think there are elements of truth in each of these theories. But, I also believe that we are more than mechanical units, more than slaves of shadowy inner drives and uncontrollable instincts. My beliefs run more to the reality of self-sacrifice, heroism, the giving and strength of love. I believe in hope, striving and wonder, faith and inspiration.
We know that in any venture failure is a possible outcome. We know that everybody can't win. But,in some situations we feel failure so much that we don't even try to win. A lack of self-confidence can make us afraid to act creatively, afraid to change, afraid of the future. So, we shrug our shoulders and sigh, "Why try? I'm a born loser." or we shrug our shoulders and sigh,"It just wasn't meant for me to win" Actually, we all feel some lack of confidence at times. We experience threats to our self-esteem and we feel inferior or unloved. Our ego suffers and we rush to repair the wound.
Greatness lies in dreams. But they are great only to the extent to which they inspire us to work and strive toward them. I do believe in a fate that falls upon those who do not act.
See you next time.
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