Fate? Destiny? They sound like the tagline for a cheesy rom-com—or maybe a buddy cop flick where Fate’s the brooding loner and Destiny’s rocking aviators and a cocky grin. I can’t help but picture that moment in Titanic where Billy Zane’s character, all smug and slick, whips out his gun and declares, “I make my own luck!” (Yep, not “destiny”—my bad, but you get the vibe.) Too bad his luck ran out when the ship hit that iceberg. Whoops.
Here’s my two cents: we’re the ones sketching out this so-called fate or destiny, even if the lines are a little wobbly. Sometimes the link between what we do and where we land is as murky as a swamp at midnight, but let’s not kid ourselves—99% of the time, we’re the ones who steered the ship into the ice. That last 1%? That’s the fun part. It’s your chance to swivel like a ninja or flail like a cartoon character dodging a piano. Imagine you’re on that sinking ship (again, Titanic-style—sorry, it’s stuck in my head now): do you grab the lifeboat or start belting out “My Heart Will Go On”? Your call.
I’m all in on free choice, so I’m not sold on the “it’s all predestined” shtick. Destiny’s just a fancy way to justify why I devoured a whole pizza last night—“Oh, it was meant to be!” Nope, I just really like cheese. Sure, you could argue it’s a chain reaction: how you were raised, where you live, the fact that your neighbor’s cat yowls at dawn and scrambles your brain. I hear you. I’m not brushing off anyone’s hardships—life’s not all pepperoni and rose petals. But when you’re knee-deep in it, the next move? That’s on you. Fate might deal the cards, but you’re the one playing—or folding—the hand.
I didn’t plan to spin this into a philosophical TED Talk you could shred with a toothpick. I wanted it light, maybe a little funny, but here we are—profound musings with a sarcastic twist. Guess that’s my fate. Or, hang on, did I pick this? Now I’m spiraling. Send pizza—or a lifeboat.
BB Grey--musings 
Leave a comment