At some point in our life, there would be a time to ask ourselves: what is the true meaning of destiny, the word always associated with fate? Can it be controlled by humans or changed? Is it something that is decided already by the heavenly forces or is it a work-in-progress? The definition of this word is subjected to changed from person to person due to the differences in culture, religion, personality, character, and such. However, regardless of how a person defines the word, they will experience a chain of events leading to the discovery of their own fate.
What is destiny? Destiny is events that will happen necessarily to a particular person or thing in the future. It is a predetermined, inevitable, course of events. We do not choose our own destiny. Anything can happen and therefore can’t choose the outcome of our actions which leads to our destiny.
Everybody needs to be free; or if nothing else have some decision in life. We as a whole have our expert, family and social duties. Then again, the vast majority trust that they are free to pick what to do, from the most straightforward to the more complex. Fate and free has been a topic for philosophers and scholars. The term free will suggests that one can do whatever one likes, and that one is free.
I personally believe that we have control of how are destiny will work for us. We can do the right things in life, or do the not so good things that sabotage the way our destiny is suppose to work out for us. In The Sports Gene, by David Epstein, Donald Thomas was led to his destiny by a bet from a current track member who did high jump. He then found out that he was naturally good at high jump, because of his giant achilles tendon. But in Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth sabotaged the way he was going to become king of Scotland.
Odysseus goes to the land of the dead and during the time he is there he will encounter many new fates and things he must do as well. First, when Odysseus is in the Land of the Dead he is to sacrifice a lamb” I swore to sacrifice a black lamb, handsomest of all our flock”(11.1071-72). In this Odysseus is saying how he had made a promise to Teiresias and now he was to slaughter this lamb that he said he would do. Next, Odysseus encounters the spirit of his deceased mother “I see my mother’s ghost among the dead sitting in silence near blood. Not once has she glanced this way toward her son, nor spoken” (11.1145-47).
Destiny over Free will Free will is a term unheard of nowhere days because of how much the media portrays that we have to do what other people say such as politicians. Some people are destined to think that everything we say and do has already been written out in a script somewhere in heaven and that God already knows what we are going to do before we even do it. People do not possess free will but are governed by fate because in Dante's Inferno the people who were brought down to hell were brought down because they were destined to go down the wrong path and that's why they are in hell and there are special places for people whose fate was a little too heinous and they were forced to go in the middle of heaven and hell and sometimes other people are also destined to lead us to our fate such as Virgil in Dante's inferno. People do not possess free will but are governed by fate because we think we have a choice to change our decisions but what if
In one of the most heartfelt moments of The Odyssey, Odysseus meets his mother in Hades on his journey back to Ithaca and discovers of her passing. So she spoke, and my heart yearned To embrace the ghost of my dead mother.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, follows the journey of Odysseus as he faces nonstop trials that risk his life on his way home to Ithaca. Homer characterizes Odysseus’s extreme loyalty to portray the specific trait of a Greek epic hero. One day, Calypso is told by Zeus that she has to release Odysseus from her island, which she had been keeping him captive on. So, Calypso, mad at the gods' hypocrisy, tries one last attempt to get him to stay: “After all these years with me, you still desire your old home? Even so, I wish you well.
The world of literature offers many different works; some may offer similarities while there are differences between others. There are more similarities than differences between Odysseus and Oedipus. Two great examples of literature is the tragic play “Oedipus the King”, written by Sophocles and “The Odyssey”, an epic poem written by Homer who were both Greek poets. Both poets’ work shows similar examples of life altering changes that were ultimately controlled by the Greek gods.
Fate is defined as the development of events that are not in an individual’s
Failures and successes in life have led many people to believe that destiny plays a role in one's future life outcome. Some say destiny, the “hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future”, is unchangeable; fate has already decided how one will live their life. Although in some cases this may be true, one is able to change their destiny by the deeds and actions they commit during their lifetime. Many people disregard the idea that actions play a large role in forming one's future.
A very important concept relating to free will can be seen in Virgil’s discussion about mental love. Virgil first introduces the concept of natural and mental love. “The natural is always without error...or err through too much or too little vigor.” (Purg. 17. 94-96) Since natural love can never err, mental love always has that tendency to turn towards the wrong thing.
Caesar Essay Fate and free will are the two aspects that seem to rule one’s life. They weave their hands into the choices that are made. The way one acts are based on these two important ideologies. Shakespeare approaches these ideas in a way that creates a dual mindset.
Do we control our own destiny, or are we subject to fate? This philosophical question has plagued mankind since the dawn of time, however Joseph Campbell offers a possible explanation. In “The Self as Hero”, an excerpt from his work Pathways to Bliss, Campbell compares accounts from various individuals on their struggles to characters in myths and fairy tales whom embark daunting journeys, finding how both groups overcome incredible struggles to achieve greatness and further their destiny. Throughout the chapter, Campbell subtly conveys his belief that hard work is what creates success. His main claim is that each person has the opportunity to seize their destiny if they have the drive and courage to do so, which is therefore attained through
Determinism vs. Free Will Determinism is the belief that people have no choice in the chain of events that their lives follow, that is always was and always will be the route their life follows. Free Will is the belief that you choose the path your life follows without any priorly determined result. Some philosophers have reached a middle ground as well, they call this Soft Determinism, or Compatibilism. Compatibilism is the theory that a person’s motives are determined, but the path they choose to take based upon those motives is not.
