Fate
Accepting one’s fate may be very beautiful if it comes from deep inside. Any other kind is worth little.
An animal runs away from a predator.
The predator grabs it. The animal struggles and dies. It all happens in a short time. Until the last moment, there is little question of fate as far as the dying animal is concerned.
Humans die much longer. They also yearn and suffer much longer. They know fate, which they may accept or not.
Thinking about fate comes with thinking consciously.
In all this, the only Compassionate stance feels to me the following:
Fate must be free.
This is, nobody should coerce anyone else to ‘accept his fate.’
For instance, during a pandemic, the choice may be between either the protection of old people or the freedom of younger people to socialize. Here, the argument ‘accept your fate’ is no good argument, as it never is.
Yet, the choice needs to be made ― here as in many other occasions in which people live together in a society.
Thus, tragedy exists.
This doesn’t lie in the coercion to accept one’s fate but in accepting that fate exists. It is part of the deal, part of the gift of consciousness that we received from nature.
It throws one out of a garden, but only as an illusion.
In reality, fate may be the most Compassionate issue,
but only in freedom. In coercion, there is no fate, but only coercion ― as in “You must accept your fate.” You see, what’s the difference with “You must accept my coercion”?
In free fate, there is the free choice to accept one’s fate, as there is also the free choice to keep hoping, or Hoping. [see: “About Hope”]
Both may be immensely beautiful.
Accepting fate
This is what makes it beautiful to me. Then again, ‘acceptance’ in this is crucially challenging. [see: “The Tough Concept of ‘Acceptance’”]
For one thing, it is incompatible with ‘making one accept something.’
It all hangs quite together, doesn’t it?
Meanwhile, decisions need to be taken; policies need to be made.
Making them with Compassion makes a difference for everyone.
Is it possible to die with a smile?
Is it possible to postpone living with a smile?
Absolutely, and more: both are worth living and dying for.
Related Posts
Does Mental Warmth Need Mental Depth?
We all recognize warmth when we feel it. A kind smile, a reassuring voice, the sense that someone truly sees us. Mental warmth gives us a feeling of safety, acceptance, and connection. But does it always come from a place of depth? People can be friendly without being particularly profound. But there’s a difference between Read the full article…
Two Extinctions
A recurrent maladaptive behavior, thought, or feeling can gradually diminish in two ways. Either it entirely disappears, or it dissolves. There are differences in path and endpoint. About extinction A mental ‘problem’ is usually recurrent. That’s the reason why people search for help, including professional help. In one word: therapy (or mental coaching). ‘Extinction’ is Read the full article…
The Journey Toward Individuation
Individuation is a term coined by Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), describing the process of becoming whole — not by separating ourselves from others but by integrating all parts of who we are, both conscious and non-conscious. It’s a journey toward inner harmony, where we stop seeing our conscious mind, or ego, as the sole leader Read the full article…