" A man must know his destiny... if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder, if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it. " ( George S Patton )
One of my favorite quotes from the general and one I have considered many times. At times, when I feel a bit lost, I wonder if I lack the imagination. I can't honestly say I have ever felt fate tap me on the shoulder. I'm thinking perhaps that is an experience the general felt and it is his experience that he was sharing. That George S Patton was a student of history and indeed, felt he had lived other lives, was well documented. He felt it was his destiny to be a warrior. Did his belief fulfill his destiny or did destiny fulfill fate?
I have written before of this idea that fate fulfills destiny. That was back in September of 2017. And now I find myself revisiting that thought. I still think that our destiny is predetermined. The one who created us knows how we will end. We are given free will to act, but that will not change our destiny. In the end, his will is done. That of course comes with many questions, many arguments. The least of these would be, why bother to follow the word of God at all? I mean, if the destination is the same, and you will reach that destination regardless, what's the point? In order for that to work you would also have to believe that God punishes the disobedient. But what if your destiny was to be disobedient? A balance is required in all things. But I am thinking about what Patton said, if a man does not recognize it, he is lost. I have no idea what my destiny is to be. I only have thoughts of what I would like it to be.
Has fate tapped me on the shoulder and I failed to turn around? No, I don't believe that it has. I have never been one to just rush forward. I have explored other avenues. But maybe that is what Patton was trying to say in the first place. He was aware of his destiny from an early age. By choosing a career as a soldier and pursuing that wholeheartedly, he sealed his fate. He believed in that destiny as wholeheartedly as a pious man believes in heaven. The guts he spoke of is the willingness to pursue that destiny, at all costs. We have all heard that opportunity knocks and we should answer. Perhaps opportunity and destiny are intertwined. But perhaps they aren't. Who can know? As men how can we be certain of anything at all? I'm thinking that we can't! All we can do is believe. Is it belief that seals fate? Is it belief that determines our destiny? If you believe in your God, truly believe, will that seal your destiny, your immortality? Isn't that what we are all striving for, immortality? Not in the physical sense though, immortal in our deeds. Patton achieved that to a degree. Others have done the same, Alexander the great, Charlemagne, Napoleon and others, names in history remembered, immortal across the ages.
We hear it all the time, believe in yourself. It is sound advice, no doubt about that. It is also, perhaps, the most difficult of things to do. Self doubt creeps in all the time. Outside forces seem to work against us at every turn. How can what we believe be reality, when reality demonstrates otherwise? Perhaps, just perhaps, that is what Patton was talking about when he said, " if he has the guts, he will take it. " Was he saying you continue to believe in yourself? Is that the guts he is speaking of? When everything seems stacked against you, not to give up. You have to believe. Can you create your own destiny, by belief? Not if it is predetermined you can't. And so, I'm back where I began. I'm thinking it all begins with belief.
One of my favorite quotes from the general and one I have considered many times. At times, when I feel a bit lost, I wonder if I lack the imagination. I can't honestly say I have ever felt fate tap me on the shoulder. I'm thinking perhaps that is an experience the general felt and it is his experience that he was sharing. That George S Patton was a student of history and indeed, felt he had lived other lives, was well documented. He felt it was his destiny to be a warrior. Did his belief fulfill his destiny or did destiny fulfill fate?
I have written before of this idea that fate fulfills destiny. That was back in September of 2017. And now I find myself revisiting that thought. I still think that our destiny is predetermined. The one who created us knows how we will end. We are given free will to act, but that will not change our destiny. In the end, his will is done. That of course comes with many questions, many arguments. The least of these would be, why bother to follow the word of God at all? I mean, if the destination is the same, and you will reach that destination regardless, what's the point? In order for that to work you would also have to believe that God punishes the disobedient. But what if your destiny was to be disobedient? A balance is required in all things. But I am thinking about what Patton said, if a man does not recognize it, he is lost. I have no idea what my destiny is to be. I only have thoughts of what I would like it to be.
Has fate tapped me on the shoulder and I failed to turn around? No, I don't believe that it has. I have never been one to just rush forward. I have explored other avenues. But maybe that is what Patton was trying to say in the first place. He was aware of his destiny from an early age. By choosing a career as a soldier and pursuing that wholeheartedly, he sealed his fate. He believed in that destiny as wholeheartedly as a pious man believes in heaven. The guts he spoke of is the willingness to pursue that destiny, at all costs. We have all heard that opportunity knocks and we should answer. Perhaps opportunity and destiny are intertwined. But perhaps they aren't. Who can know? As men how can we be certain of anything at all? I'm thinking that we can't! All we can do is believe. Is it belief that seals fate? Is it belief that determines our destiny? If you believe in your God, truly believe, will that seal your destiny, your immortality? Isn't that what we are all striving for, immortality? Not in the physical sense though, immortal in our deeds. Patton achieved that to a degree. Others have done the same, Alexander the great, Charlemagne, Napoleon and others, names in history remembered, immortal across the ages.
We hear it all the time, believe in yourself. It is sound advice, no doubt about that. It is also, perhaps, the most difficult of things to do. Self doubt creeps in all the time. Outside forces seem to work against us at every turn. How can what we believe be reality, when reality demonstrates otherwise? Perhaps, just perhaps, that is what Patton was talking about when he said, " if he has the guts, he will take it. " Was he saying you continue to believe in yourself? Is that the guts he is speaking of? When everything seems stacked against you, not to give up. You have to believe. Can you create your own destiny, by belief? Not if it is predetermined you can't. And so, I'm back where I began. I'm thinking it all begins with belief.
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