First a story.
It’s about two friends say Jack and John. In their teens they went to Denmark on a trip together and fell in love with that country, they somehow liked that country so much that both of them decided that when they grow up they would settle there and do some business. But slowly with time their plan took a backseat as they progress towards college and job. Jack started to work in an auditing firm and was getting a good salary but when the company was acquired by another one he lost his job but got a good severance pay. So now nothing holding him back he decided to follow his teen dream and move to Denmark. He decided to start an organic agriculture based business and started planning about it. He told John about his plan and invited him to join. John asked for a week to decide. John pursued research and was a professor in a reputed college with very good pay and grants.
John thought about the offer and was confused as to what to do. He talked to his father and friends who advised differently and none of it sounded wrong. But he was not able to decide what to do. On one hand he had a good job and on the other the opportunity to go to his dream place and start something new with a potentially higher income. As days past he was not able to decide and one day he was sitting on a bench by the riverfront when an old man came and sat beside him. He asked John why he was looking disturbed. John told him about his delusion and that he was not able to decide for himself. The old man said in that case let me decide for you. John somehow agreed as he wanted to get over it. The old man said you go.
John took his words, thanked him and left. He told Jack that he will go and so after a month Jack and John went to Denmark. For five years the business was going well but then due to regulatory issues they had to stop the business. Then John bought a small farm and started farming. The income was low but he somehow managed though it was putting a strain on his finances and stress. After some years he decided to go home to meet his father. There again he wandered around the riverfront and sat on the same bench. Again an old man came and sat on the bench. The old man asked why he looked depressed. He told the whole story and that he was not able to decide whether he should stay back or go back to Denmark. The old man said that let me decide for you and said that you should stay.
John agreed and asked what made him chose to stay. The old man just said that you will find it out yourself. So he again joined a college and life was going smoothly. After a few years this friend Jack came to meet him and they talked about old says. Jack told how looked after his farm and slowly scaled up the business again and that how satisfied he was in contributing towards the local economy. John again started thinking whether not returning back was a good idea or not and how he let another person decide what to do. That evening he went for a walk by the riverfront and sat on the same bench. Again an old man came and asked him why he looked disoriented. He narrated his whole life story and said he is not able to decide what to do now. The old man said if you are not able to decide then let me do it for you. But this time John said that this time I will decide for myself.
The old man asked but you are not able to make a choice. John said yes but I think there is nothing as a right choice or wrong choice. All these time I feared about making the wrong choice and let another person choose for me but I chose what he chose for me, so it was ultimately my choice. Now whatever I chose I know that on all paths there will be something to dread and something to be happy about. Now I will pick one and move on though it won’t be left to chance or it won’t lead to a certainty but something in between, still it will be the right choice for me to live by it.
THE END
So where in this story destiny or choice played its role. If we are a believer of destiny then it may seem that choice has no place in it. And if choice is what defines us then destiny has no role to play. Or is destiny a shifting goal post which is an outcome of the choices we make in life. Destiny has the added advantage of blaming something or someone else for our failure or giving credit to someone or something else for our success. Or does destiny offer us the choices to decide and tricks us to make the ‘right’ choice. Is there no right or wrong choice in life or it is just a matter of choice. Do we really have control over our choices and actions?
Thank you Telesfor sir.