fandomhigh | Destiny & Free Will, #2 [Period 1, Monday, July 21]

"Today, children, we discuss semantics," Ghanima said briskly from her seat on her desk. "Although the words are used interchangeably in many cases, fate and destiny can be, and should be, distinguished." She smiled, kicking her heels slightly. "Don't groan at me. Semantics are your friends, I promise. When you know a word, inside and out, it becomes more than a word. It's a friend, a weapon, and a great source of fun at the expense of other people."

"Modern usage defines fate as a power or agency that predetermines and orders the course of events. Fate defines events as ordered or "inevitable". Fate is used in regard to the finality of events as they have worked themselves out; and that same sense of finality, projected into the future to become the inevitability of events as they will work themselves out, is Destiny."

Hopping off her desk, she meandered to the front of the room. "One word derivative of "fate" is "fatality", another "fatalism". Fate implies no choice, and ends fatally, with a death. Fate is an outcome determined by an outside agency acting upon a person or entity; but with destiny the entity is participating in achieving an outcome that is directly related to itself. Participation happens willfully."

"Used in the past tense, "destiny" and "fate" are both more interchangeable, both imply "one's lot" or fortunes, and include the sum of events leading up to a currently achieved outcome." Ghanima grabbed her chalk and began writing quickly on the chalkboard. "For instance, if we were speaking of a previous event, say, Boudicca's battle against the Romans, we could safely say that "it was her destiny to be leader" or "it was her fate to be leader", and both would be correct."

"Fate can involve things which are bound within and subject to larger networks. A set of mathematical functions arranged in a grid and interacting in defined ways is Fatelike. Likewise the individual statues in a larger work of counterpoint art are aesthetically Fated within the work. In each case Fate is external to every individual component, but integral to the network. Every component acts as Fate for every other component. The entire world can be seen as existing within such a network, a kind of mythical spiderweb controlled by unseen forces."

"Now, where does fate come from?" she asked. "In classical and European mythology, there are three goddesses dispensing fate, The "Fates" known as Moirae in Greek mythology, as Parcae in Roman mythology, and Norns in Norse mythology; they determine the events of the world through the mystic spinning of threads that represent individual human destinies," she said, writing on the chalkboard. "Three sets of three, each fitting the 'Maiden/Mother/Crone' archetype, each from a different culture."

"So, let's chat." She set the chalk down and leaned against the wall to watch them. "Semantics and harbingers of fate. I'm curious to hear what you think."

[~~Please wait for~~ the OCD is now up. Have fun!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Another term, often misused, is kismet. Kismet derives from the Arabic word qismah, and entered the English language via the Turkish word kısmet, meaning either "the will\save Allah" or "portion, lot or fate". In English, the word is often synonymous with fate or destiny, thereby confusing the terminology even further," Ghanima said. "To understand the shades of meaning behind kismet, we'd have to take an in-dept look at Qadr and aqidah, and the concepts of predestination in Islam, but we unfortunately only have seven weeks to this class and not seven years." Ghanima grinned at the class. "What other words have you heard used to mean 'destiny' or 'fate'? Do you think they fit?"

"Fortune," Romeo suggested. "To mean the overlying cause behind it all, as much as the things themselves. Also, claiming things are 'written in the stars.' Which seems a bit foolish to me, as why should the stars care so about our agencies?"

"O Fortune, who dost bestow the throne’s high boon with mocking hand, in dangerous and doubtful state thou settest the too exalted. Never have sceptres obtained calm peace or certain tenure; care on care weighs them down, and ever do fresh storms vex their souls. ...great kingdoms sink of their own weight, and Fortune gives way ‘neath the burden of herself," Ghanima recited, smiling as she walked. "Sails swollen with favouring breezes fear blasts too strongly theirs; the tower which rears its head to the very clouds is beaten by rainy Auster.... Whatever Fortune has raised on high, she lifts but to bring low. Modest estate has longer life; then happy he whoe’er, content with the common lot, with safe breeze hugs the shore, and, fearing to trust his skiff to the wider sea, with unambitious oar keeps close to land."

"Seneca's tragedy Agamemnon, the choral address to Fortuna. I've always enjoyed Seneca, he's got a way with words."

She returned to the front of the room and began to write again. "In Roman mythology, Fortuna was the equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche, goddess of fortune, and was the personification of luck." Ghanima grinned and shook her chalk at the class. "Hopefully of good luck, but she could be represented veiled and blind, as modern depictions of Justice are seen, and came to represent the capriciousness of life. She was also considered the goddess of fate, so you can see where her name became synonymous with her calling."

"I've heard the word wyrd come up a few times in old stories," Gwen said. "But they're not really something I've paid much attention too."

"Ah yes, Miss Cooper, the Wyrd." Ghanima turned back to the chalkboard and began writing. "In a simple sense, Wyrd refers to how past actions continually affect and condition the future, but also how the future affects the past," she said. "It emphasises the interconnected nature of all actions and how they influence each other."

"The Wanderer states that 'Wyrd bið ful aræd,' which usually translates as 'Fate remains wholly inexorable'. The poem Beowulf tells us that 'Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!': 'Fate goes ever as she shall!', again, making Fate female.

"Wyrd is the fate, or ørlǫg, woven by the Norns. The term's Norse cognate urðr, besides meaning 'fate', is the name of one of the Norns, Urd, and is closely related to the concept of necessity, which would be Skuld." Ghanima paused in her writing to smile over her shoulder. "Much like the weavings of fate, even language is interconnected within the Old Norse."

"Unlike predestination, however, Wyrd allows for the expression and assertion of one's individual wyrd - essentially one's will or destiny. However, this is always constrained by the wyrd of others. Nevertheless, one is able to influence to some extent the 'weaving' of fate."

"I mostly only hear about destiny," Jaina admitted. "A lot. Even fate only tends to be mentioned as a finality. Maybe we're uncreative."

"Not necessarily uncreative, Miss Solo. Rather, adhering to a single uniform definition of destiny," Ghanima answered. "Many times, synonyms grow out of humanity's inability to express itself in an articulate manner, especially with such fluid concepts as we are discussing. If your society has narrowed and defined these concepts to a single unchanging definition, then there would be no need for an extensive list of alternate options."

"It makes things less confusing, at least," she said with a little grin.

"I've only ever really heard the word destiny," Sam admitted. "I mean, I've heard kismet used too, but that's usually when someone's fate has been good."

"You've only heard it in a positive manner? Interesting," Ghanima replied. "So would you say a modern definition of kismet might be more along the lines of 'grace of god', implying a positive outcome, rather than an allotment of fate?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be accurate," Sam said. "Like when you meet someone and fall in love with them, that's kismet. If you believe in the whole soulmate thing, you can say it was fate, or the grace of god, that you got together, but it's one of the instances where fate has a positive effect."

"I've heard karma," John said offhandedly. "You know, making your destiny based on how you act or something."

"Indeed, Mr. Sheppard, karma is often used interchangeably with fate." Ghanima quickly added the term to her growing collection on the chalkboard. "Karma is the law of moral causation, part of the cycle called samsāra. All living creatures are responsible for their own karma — their actions and the effects of their actions — and for their release from samsāra. This concept can be traced back to the early Upanishads of Ancient India."

"Now, the philosophical explanation of karma can differ slightly between traditions, but the general concept is basically the same. Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present, and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to yourself and others," she said. "In religions that incorporate reincarnation, karma extends through one's present life and all past and future lives as well, so you had best watch your actions now, least you end up as an ant in your next life."

John was kind of proud that he knew something even if it wasn't on purpose and smiled smugly.

Destiny & Free Will, #2 [Period 1, Monday, July 21]

Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet

Re: Discussion: Kismet