Do you believe in fate/destiny?
I read the prompt and, as often happens, a song came into my mind, but with a slight difference: I wrote the lyrics to this one, and Jeremy dePrisco composed the music. The song, “Call It Fate” was sung by the Spirit Guide Dog in my musical, Dog Assassin.
We call it fate
Call it Karma
Call it what you will—
We try to choose
Our destiny
Whether good or ill
Fate can lead us
Or it drags us
This defines our choice
Through submission
We find power
Give our will a voice
CHORUS
Find your guide and follow him
You’ve come this way before
Even if you lose your guide
You’ll find him once more
The guide ends where and you begin?
That’s the question to ask
Does it really matter which
One of you wears the mask?
Is what happens
Preordained and
Written in advance
(Or)
Do you need to
Improvise the
Steps of cosmic dance
Pay your money
And place your bet
Spin the fortune wheel
Accept your fate
With grateful smile
You’ll find the real deal
CHORUS
Find your guide and follow him
You’ve come this way before
Even if you lose your guide
You’ll find him once more
The guide ends where and you begin?
That’s the question to ask
Does it really matter which
One of you wears the mask?
“Fate can lead us or it drags us” echoes my approach to the ancient Greek play, Oedipus the King.* I would point out to my students that, when Oedipus tried to escape his fate, he managed to end up exactly where it wanted him. It would have been better to embrace his fate, or allow the stream of destiny** to take him, rather than fighting to swim against the current.
This sums up much of my belief in fate and destiny. I have also often quoted the idea that, “Everything happens for a reason.” That’s not to say things are pre-ordained (although it does sound like that), but certainly we do often find reasons or connections behind seemingly random events. Do things go together in synchronicity, or do we just perceive a linkage? Perhaps that’s just our minds trying to impose order on chaos or an optimistic search for meaning.
* I once had a student ask if Oedipus the King and Oedipus Rex were the same play. Ah, for just a little understanding of Latin and Greek!
** Stream of Destiny is a good name for a band!
MUSOFYR 