What Is Destiny?
Are the mystics right about it's existence?
I find wisdom to be its own kind of magic.
That feeling, that sensation, of your world-view changing, I can’t describe it as anything else but magical.
But in saying that, some pieces of wisdom seem to rely on this feeling like a crutch.
I remember I was once asked, “Do you believe in destiny?” For many years, I didn’t have an answer.
While most depictions of destiny are unrealistic at best, I had this hunch there was truth to be found.
After a lot of thinking, I believe destiny exists.
The first order of business was to distinguish between destiny and fate. Last time I mentioned fate, I defined it as the process in which an outcome becomes inevitable. Inevitability was the detail I, and likely others, were confused about. Both concepts involve it to some capacity. That said, destiny seems to possess the quality of being avoidable. The language and phrases pertaining to destiny often imply responsibility. “Fulfill your destiny” or “it was their destiny” both hint at a sense of ownership, almost as if we have power over it. This also means that we would have the power to choose whether we become what we were destined to be. After all, birds have power over whether they open their wings. So instead of fate, something that happens to us, destiny appears to be something that happens through us.
If destiny is not the same thing as fate, what is it? Well, I can confidently say that it’s something to do with becoming a better you. Throughout time, we learnt to value different potential versions of ourselves more than others. Since we live in a social environment, a beneficial state has later come to involve what’s good for us, as well as what’s good for others. To become a better you is to be considered better by you and those around you. One could then consider quality of service to be a factor. Not only do you ascend to something you value, but others will receive more value from you. Imagine an island. This island you’re stuck on has a cliff-side with a wind current passing through it strong enough to carry you up. All you need to do is open your wings. You can choose not to fly and avoid the risk of losing yourself to the bottom, but your wings will atrophy and seal your fate. The better choice is to take the leap and be carried over to those in the sky who wait for you. This illustrates the dual nature of destiny. On one hand, it’s the potential self you endorse the most. On the other, it’s what allows you to do the most good.
Notice how I said potential self? Destiny is always pictured as something to transform into, but identity doesn’t change. By definition, identity stays the same over time. Instead of becoming a different person, we become a different version of ourselves. Same person, different behaviour. The self does the changing. But how does identity tie into it then? Your identity is made of values, values that you own. Naturally, this leads to different choices being more favorable. The identity is telling the self what to morph into. Maybe instead of becoming something else, you become more you.
The interaction between identity and the self must be what allows someone to orient to one’s own destiny. The self changes towards an ideal established by identity. This leads me to conclude that destiny is the ideal self-configuration. A state of being that you owe yourself to become because it’s how you embody yourself the most.
What does this look like? When we act out the pursuit of destiny, our behaviours are refined by day-to-day constraints. These constraints will determine what the fulfillment of one’s destiny will look like. Maybe you’re destined to be an athlete, but what your body is capable of will affect what sport you play. The ideal stays the same, but how the self configures itself to fulfill that ideal will depend on the constraints of reality, or at least part of reality you occupy.
After all that, destiny doesn’t seem unrealistic anymore. It all comes down to who you’re meant to become. An ideal self, based on who you are, that can be enacted in the world. The best-fit role where you leave the most good behind. Maybe if these mystic beliefs were coupled with a pragmatic approach, we could see the truth that lies beneath. With that being said, never let fear stop you from taking the leap of faith. Everyone deserves to see you soar.