DESTINY

Buried somewhere in the pages of my journal is a quote that reads something like this: never was a man so unafraid of his own destiny.  I don’t know if I can fully describe the incredible impact those few words had on me.  At the time I was struggling with depression, confronting a growing force pulling my life into a new and totally unexpected and frightening direction.

Until that moment I had always considered destiny to be the purview of great historical figures accomplishing grand deeds, real or fictional.  Destiny was reserved for these men and women, and not intended for those of us living our mundane lives far from the spotlight of such greatness.  I suddenly realized that notion was wrong; we all have our own personal destiny, and seeing my struggle in that light enabled me to move forward.  It validated the feelings and desires that were causing so much stress and tension in my life and affirmed my commitment to the journey that lie ahead.  I had my own destiny to claim.

I believe that somewhere, deep in our conscious and unconscious mind, there exists a “center” that defines who we are.  It provides the basic material from which we create ourselves and to a large extent determines our personality traits and basic psychological temperament that direct our behavior.  This center contains the seeds of what we can become, depending on the circumstances of our life.  I think of it as the soul, a mystical entity detached from anything physical, in spite of the arguments from the neuroscientists.  It is a concept that helps me to understand my life and guides my behavior.  This is where my destiny was born, and once recognized and acknowledged, I had the opportunity to act on it or ignore it.

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of a soul, think of this “place” as our psyche, or center, or perhaps the human spirit.  Theists can insert God somewhere in this process.  It doesn’t matter what it is called or why or how it exists.  That basic core of our humanness is there for each of us.