Destiny

Personal Case Study: Destiny
by Neal R. Karski

I was really intrigued by the two recent films “Shutter Island” and “Inception,” in which Leonardo DiCaprio showed masterful acting skills and presented to us many questions that we ask ourselves every day. I managed to dig up a couple of the underlying themes from those movies, both very captivating and at times perplexing. The following piece will address my personal case study of destiny, whereas Part II will entail the matter of reality. Take a quick read.

Destiny is a concept driven by each and every human being. Therefore, it is subjective. One may believe that he or she is does have full control of his or her destiny, or rather share this belief with the moral perspective of God’s omnipotence. Whatever the case, the concept is puzzling to philosophers, theologians and professionals in the health sciences, because it protrudes many layers of core questions. Destiny may or may not be. For some of us, destiny may not exist – it happens to be the present moment that really counts. But how do we formulate what really counts in our lives and relate it to the notion of where we are destined to go… or end up?

I often question destiny when the times are bad or my life has taken on a temporarily-declining direction. I ask myself and God: “Is this a part of my destiny?” – the necessary piece or component of where I’m headed or the person I’m going to become one day. Humans change, largely influenced by other people with whom they interact or cross paths with, and they are significantly affected by plethora of events. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that at every step [of change] our destiny is liable to change, as well. This can be negated if our destiny has been pre-determined, whether by a higher intelligence, such as God, or unconsciously, ourselves. The latter I’ve managed to think about quite thoroughly. It is possible, yet vague, that in our neonate development and childhood we condition ourselves to take certain paths… who knows. The moral outlook also brings up questions such as: Under what conditions has my destiny been pre-determined? Can I change my destiny in any ways? How do I reach salvation? Can destiny be affected by the steps of change? And the most difficult question… What really is destiny?

Since this is my personal case study of the notion of destiny, I will put forth my own definition.

Destiny is a concept that cannot be fully conceived by any human being. We can ask questions and seek answers, but certainty cannot be reached [until we have perished, and maybe not even then]. Destiny is a feeling of my own presence at the point of location and time, and assurance that I’m going forward; I’m progressing toward a more wise, more successful, happier I. I don’t know whether it is my intrinsic destiny, but that feeling leads me to believe [even if foolishly] that I am destined to do outstanding things for myself and altruistically for others. We are all destined to live the life we have, and if everything happens for a reason, the past, the present and the future will collide.