Do you believe in fate/destiny?

Do I believe in fate/destiny? No. Our lives are shaped by us.

We cannot let the stars, religion, or any fortune teller tell us what is going to happen to us in the future. For centuries, people have relied on shamans, soothsayers, fortune tellers or priests to know their fate or destiny.

According to these people, our fates are already written the moment we are born. That there is no escape. For example, if you are born poor then you die poor as well. I remember an episode of Naruto where he fought with Neji in the chuunin exams. Neji believed that Naruto was destined to be a loser. Once a loser, always a loser. But Naruto refused to believe that and managed to overpower him and beat him.

Our experiences, decisions, and choices all shape our lives. There is a thing called coincidence but not fate or destiny.

I refuse to believe that I was destined to be my ex-husband’s punching bag. I made a poor decision in choosing him. I also refuse to believe that I was destined to be childless. Again, I chose to be with someone sterile.

We design our futures and our lives. We are responsible for what happens or is currently happening to us.