Fate is Fake

I do not believe in fate (and not just because I’m arguing against it in the debate). In fact, I hate it when people say “everything happens for a reason” because it simply does not. Well, obviously it does happen for a reason, that reason being that we made it happen. Every single thing that happens in our lives, from the people we meet to the accidents we may or may not avoid, comes from the choices we make. 

One thing many people who believe in fate often talk about are “soulmates”. But what does this even mean? Happening to fall into the arms of a stranger on the bus and spending the rest of your life with them? If this were to happen, it would only be a result of our own actions. The first choice we would have to make would be taking the bus. We would have to make a decision to take the bus as a form of transportation rather than a car or a bike. No spirit draws us to make certain decisions. We make them because of our own judgment, because we believe they are the most advantageous decisions. After deciding to take the bus (maybe because traffic is bad or the weather doesn’t permit biking), we then choose a spot to sit or stand. Perhaps the closest open seat to the front. Next, a sudden stop would lead us into the arms of a stranger. No force of nature is causing the bus to come to a halt. A pedestrian or maybe a sudden red light is what causes the bus driver to choose to slam on the brakes. And finally, after tumbling into the arms of a concerned individual, we would not choose to give them our phone number or meet them for coffee simply because they are our “soulmate”. Maybe it’s the adrenaline of the situation or the initial attraction that leaves us wanting more. The decision to marry them and live the rest of our life with them is none other than our own. 

Many people also believe accidents that occur or accidents we avoid are signs of fate. But the mere causal of them or avoidance of them are all based on our own actions. For example, I was in a car accident about 2 weeks ago. I do not think it was my destiny to rear-end the car in front of me. In fact, it probably shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I was not texting, or blasting music super loud, or even engaged in a conversation with the passenger (sorry Riley!). I simply didn’t realize how slow the car in front of me was going until it was too late. By the time I hit the brake, I knew we were going to crash. I do not think this was a force of nature telling me I need to pay more attention while I am driving. I think the fact that I got 4 hours of sleep the night before and had a stressful day at school played a bigger role. If I had gone to bed earlier, I probably would have been more attentive. I will definitely keep a closer eye on the road when I am driving now, but I have learned that lesson from my own actions, not from my fate. 

We are in charge of our own lives. Blaming outcomes on our “destiny” instead of our decisions just proves our inability to accept responsibility for our own actions.