During our lifetime, fate has brought people into our lives, and other times, fate has taken people away from our lives. Out of these people, some we only met for a fraction of a second, some stayed with us longer, some will spend or has spent a lifetime with us, and some we have never met or will never meet. People have come in and out from our lives according to the "schedule." In saying this, I think not only the concept applies to people but also to every choice and every event in our lives.
I took a short tour to Oregon just past last week. The bus was filled with passengers from different countries and different states. Some singles, some with families, and some with their spouses. During the tour trip, besides enjoying the beautiful sceneries and taking photos, I observed how people behaved and interacted with other people on the same bus that they have never met. I thought to myself that I was meant to spend only three days on this trip with them during my lifetime. I was sure that they might have thought the same way. When the trip was over, the chance of seeing each other was quite rare or almost never. If this was the case, then why bother to get to know each other?
I was right. When the trip finally ended, no one asked for their neighbors' phone numbers or any other kind of contacts. People did not even bother to think about the concept of fate. They were too busy getting off the bus to get to their final destinations, and to move on with their lives. Tomorrow would be another day for them to meet new people and to pursuit activities that fate has planned for them.
In writing this article, I was just reminded myself of a special person. I was introduced to him through another friend at the company Christmas party. The few minutes of introduction was the first time as well as the last time that I saw this man. The next time I "met" him was at his funeral. He died in a car accident. Life is so amazing. The first time we met, he was a strong and happy man; and the second time, his body was in ashes inside the urn. At this point in my life, I am still not sure why fate had brought his presence to me; but I believe that his existence would mean something to my life even he had already gone.
Every so often, unnoticeable, fate just arranges the meetings between people. However, not all the meetings are at the right time and at the right place. Sometimes, we might like those people that we met and sometimes, we might not. Do we have a choice to meet or not to meet these people? I guess not. All the arrangements are actually out of our controls.
From time to time, we disliked some people and they kept popping up in our lives. Other times, there are special someone(s) that we want to meet; but it does not matter how much time and efforts that we have put in; and we have tried everything we possibly could to make the wishes come true. However, at the end, fate prevents us from meeting these individuals.
When I was younger, I always thought that I could make my own choices in life. So what if I did? I worked hard toward that choice and I ended up with disappointment. I have experienced, not once, but many disappointments during my lifetime by pursuing my choices and chasing after my dreams because I did not believe in fate. On occasion, I have tried to stay away from different people or events; but at the end, I still would end up with them.
At times, I feel powerless knowing that my fate is predestined and I cannot change a single thing. Even if I did change a simple thing, it is inconsequential, it is just a fraction of a whole path, and the end result would still be the same. Now, when I make a decision, it was based on the flip of a coin. I closed my eyes, and let fate decides the choice for me. As it sounds passive as it might be, I still have to live through a life according to the fate that has been predestined for me. It is like taking a tour provided by the traveling company, where the schedule is set for the whole trip, and all I need to do is just sit back, relax, and enjoy the sightseeing. Wherever the path leads me, I will do my best to make it as fulfilling as I could – I just go with the flow.
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