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 as I confronted a growing force pulling my life into a new and totally unexpected 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 in the every day world out of the spotlight of such greatness.  I suddenly realized that notion was wrong; everyone has their own personal destiny, and looking at my struggles 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.  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 our basic psychological patterns of behavior.  This center contains the seeds of what we can become, depending on the circumstances of our life.  I think of it as my 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 guide my behavior.  This is where my destiny was born, and once recognized and acknowledged, I was given the opportunity to act on it or ignore it.

For those who are uncomfortable with the idea of a soul, substitute psyche, or center.  Theists can insert God somewhere in this process.  It doesn’t matter what it is called or why it exists.  That basic core of our humanness is there for each of us.