Is destiny inevitable?

For some, life continues on an even keel. For others, life may not be so easy. Some blame destiny for everything. But is it true? It's not so. Say, for example, that Mr. X is waiting for a promotion. But he didn't get it. The reason might be: 1) The management might have thought that Mr. Y was better than Mr. X; 2) Mr. X was not well-prepared for the promotion; or 3) Mr. Y's hands-on experience was better than Mr. X's.

One thing or another would have been the reason for the above. But Mr. X thinks it is his fate that he didn't get the promotion. Not only Mr. X, but most people think the same.

During my last trip to India, I heard a tragic story from an old lady. She told me that "her first son was born mentally ill. Not only her first son, but her second, third, fourth and even the fifth were born with the same condition." Her story made me cry. If she said it was because of destiny, it was 100 percent destiny. Yet she was waiting for something. God showered his blessings on her. Three of her daughters are now in good positions at work.

The only thing that is not for sale in the world is fearlessness. If we are confident about ourselves, we can change the whole scenario. We should have a force within ourselves. Changing negative to positive, changing cannot to can; it all lies in our hands. It is absurd to blame everything as fate. If you're doing so, then you're baffling yourself. I remember a quote from an advertisement, "Life is too wonderful to be spent worrying. Abrogate all negative thoughts."

In some cases, of course, destiny is inevitable. But in most of cases, I think it is not invincible.

UMA RAMAKRISHNAN

Jakarta