Fate

Most monotheistic religions provide that everything is "god-given" and that everything happens for a reason... cos god wanted it that way. Buddhism changes things a little.... they have karma, which in it's most simplistic form is that yes, things happen for a reason, but not because god wanted it, but you yourself have created it.

For skeptics and doubting sams, like me, the karma thing is more appealing as it provides for the entire scope of inequalities in the world. You reap what you sow... etc etc. What you are now is the result of your actions before, similarly, what your future will be is what you do now. The attraction of this is philosophy, for me anyway, is that your own future or rather "fate" is in your own hands and not the work of some masochistic evil being who chooses why some undergo more suffering than others.

But the subject of karma is not so simple. It also provides that certain things that are meant to happen, HAVE to happen regardless of how we try to change things. And if these things don't manifest as they are suppose to, other repercussions will accumulate. This therefore makes life rather scary.

All my life, I have been told that I will never be successful and have pots of money. Not just one person, but many many times over. That I have to use my life to benefit others. Yes, I must confess, I do feel good about that bit.... but truthfully I do seriously want the pots of money, the feeling of security... m a highly attached to comfort pampered gal. But that is not it; there's more! Should I stop to benefit others I will not only be unhappy (likelihood of turning "off" is very high), I will also receive trouble whereever I go - maybe not because of me, but its the manifestation of "NOT fulfilling my karma".

Suddenly this ideal is not so appealing and the prospect becomes very daunting; and either way dosen't sound good at all. Then again, how can you accept one part of an ideal, but yet reject all the other parts?