WCFQ #5:Do you believe in fate or destiny?Jolteus33 By our habits and personality, there are some things which are more probable than others. If this is fate or destiny, then yes, I believe in it. You can defeat fate by changing your habits. Recognizing an unhealthy habit or characteristic is the first step to changing your fate. Some things you can't change.
For instance, I read about a recent study on nicotine addiction. Basically, the more melanin you have in your skin, the stronger your addiction to nicotine because the melanin cells actually store the nicotine. This does not just extend to dark skinned people, though I would assume that your best bet concerning nicotine if you happen to have darker skin is to just never start smoking! Apparently though, if you tan regularly as part of your job (roofing, landscaping, etc) or recreationally, you are also more prone to this nicotine storage problem. So get as little sun as possible and don't ever try smoking and maybe you can deter fate from making you a smoke stack.
Bottom line, if you know you have a predisposition to something... either through awareness of family history or by observing your own personal habits... you have the tools to avert fate. If you know that heart attack runs in the family and that you're probably going to have one too at some point, change your diet and get regular exercise. If you know that skin cancer runs in the family, get as little sun as possible and get regular check ups for those funky moles you got on your back. If you know aneurysms runs in your family, well... not much you can do about that. Apparently we're all born with weak vessels in our brains that are just going to give up the ghost at some point. Sorry. I don't know if there are any preventative measures you can take against stroke that aren't going to make you out to be a hypochondriac.
Ideally, we should all be examining ourselves, our habits and our physical health, on a regular basis. Which is not what most people do. Most people are more concerned with outward appearances and what other people are doing than what's going on in their own bodies, but a healthy person, and by this I mean physically and mentally, should indulge in self examination at least once in a while. What is the measurement of "a while," I couldn't say, but self awareness is the key to a long life. The fates can still slip a fast one in there. You could be driving home from work and a deer could attack your car, but if you've made the effort to ensure that you should be on the road at all (good eyesight, reflexes, no reading, eating, or hygiene engaged in while the peddle is to the metal), then chances are, you'll survive.
July 4th
The Athenian festival to honor Athena was called the Panathenaea. On the sixth day, the goddess' statue was dressed in a new robe. This was also a holy day of the Roman Goddess Pax, goddess of peace.
Comments (5)
I think a person can changed their destiny but not their fate. Destiny has to do with certain predispositions you're born with that you can learn to avoid; fate is inescapable and has to do with things like when you born and when you die. You can't escape something if you're fated to do it--just ask the Greeks.
Wow. *lights up cigarette* (It's the nature of the beast that is part of the human psyche... sorry.) I really enjoyed this post. I agree that you should be aware of your own body and medical history, etc. We have a history of everything in our family. And, although my hubben and I are planning on quitting smoking one day, eventually it will be something else that gets us. I'm not sure that we'd be able to actually postpone our demise but if one is supposed to live a long life then it may improve the quality of that life.
I also agree with Heidenkind that some things are inescapable. We're built with a warranty that is going to expire one day. They say that doctors can tell when you're going to die from your DNA. I have read that insurance companies would love to be able to acquire this bit of information (I just bet they would... sorry, your policy has been cancelled... thanks for all of your money in the meantime). However, if they do know... they can keep it to themselves... I'd rather be surprised... and in my old age. Which reminds me... I need to get a picture of my palms and post it. Would you read it like you did heidenkind's? The one thing that I do know... from a book that I have on it... is that my lifeline is out there... and that makes me want to improve the quality of my life.
@heidenkind - I agree. Fate is something you can't plan against, though you can try. I mean, you never know if an animal is going to run out in the road and you swerve to avoid it and go into a ditch or something... but you can play lots of video games to improve your hand-eye coordination...
@Broom_Service - Yeah, it's all about quality of life, because without quality, life's not worth living...
I'd definitely read your palms if you post a picture. No problem.
@harmony0stars -Yeah... who wants to live a long life if it involves being in an iron lung for 20 years?
Cool. I'll have to post a picture when I can get one.
Thanks.
Great post. I think we manage our destiny to some extent, but fate, by fortune fair or foul, will decide the final outcome. A good measure of insight is crucial, I think, at least enough to outwit or overcome the ill. It is very mysterious in some ways, and yet I think confidence plays a very big role either way. And not even so much confidence, but convinced. And one can be convinced of the good or the ill, depending on one's outlook. Never rain on someone's parade, as is said, lest you tempt fate.
Again, a very good response to the question.
Blessings~