Friday, February 03, 2006
article frm TDE newsletter - How to Fix & Win the War Against Fate
an article frm TDE newsletter:How to Fix & Win the War Against Fate
"It is just as ridiculous for the fatalistic to lament about their fate, as it is for them to not change it." - stonepeace
Here is a re-telling of a classic thought-provoking Zen story... Once upon a time, a great general painfully decided that it was best to attack his approaching enemies before they had a chance to spring upon his troops. A clash to the end seemed inevitable anyway. Though he had much less men than the opposition, he knew the element of surprise would help him win. This he was as sure as he could be, despite the great doubt of his men, who felt they were destined to die. On the way to war, he stopped by a temple and told his demoralised men, "I shall hereby toss a coin. If it's heads, we will win and we shall advance; if it's tails, we will lose and there would be nothing to do but to wait for death and defeat. Our fate is in destiny's hand!" As he flipped the coin into the air after a silent prayer, all the men watched with bated breath... The coin landed heads up. Instantly charged up by the confirmation of victory, the men became so eager to win and get the war over with, that they easily secured a crushing victory. Delirious with joy, they yelled, "Destiny is on our side! Nothing can change our destiny!" Suddenly, the general remarked, "Indeed not", as he revealed the coin to them - it had heads on both sides!
What did the general's cryptic reply mean? Destiny is indeed on our side - all the time, in fact - simply because we are always choosing the destiny we believe and desire by our motivations and actions. It is exactly because we are the only ones who choose our own destiny that nothing else can change our destiny! There is "no destiny" as in there is no truly fixed fate for us; while there is destiny in that there is a probable future due to what we choose in the moment. Was destiny a supernatural force that favoured the general's army? No - it was the general's personal wisdom and skilful means, and the collective efforts of his men, that favoured themselves. The general had "fixed" the war, thus altering the course from a dark destiny. How equally self-fulfiling it would be if the men believed they were hopeless and fought half-heartedly! If you still think your fate is in "destiny's hand", remember this - destiny's hands are your hands, just as the general's destiny was in his hand which tossed the coin. You will not simply blindly succumb to what a flipped coin shows, will you? I trust you will not leave your destiny to chance, that you will not let your lofty hopes and dreams be crushed by the weight of a coin. Remember, all oracles, no matter how renowned, can only predict the future - they do not cast it in stone. It is you who cast your future in stone with every following choice. We live our own self-fulfiling prophecies! Heads up! Be a winner! - Shen Shi'an
