Eng 2800 Final - Grade: B PDF

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Ingrid Oliva Professor Reilly English 2800 HTRB 5/21/2020 What is destiny? Destiny is what’s meant to happen. It is external and exists all around us. Many things exist outside the idea of free will. Anything that can occur without request could be explained by the idea of destiny. This essay will attempt to demonstrate how destiny is the result of allowing decisions to be made for you. Destiny is often described as unavoidable. I think the true way of looking at it is as follows: it is important to remember that although you have no control over what happens to you, you do have control of what you do. Perhaps this is someone being active in their decisions and what they're capable of. Taking control of things shows true agency and proves how destiny can be omitted, or simply controlled. An example of the romanized destiny can be seen in the Odyssey. Odysseus is known to be destined for a tough journey home. And it actually happens. He’s thrown a numerous amount of obstacles, but he triumphs them all and eventually gets home. But the important takeaway is that he’s given plenty of choices that may allow him to avoid further struggle, but he always seems to choose the wrong thing. Perhaps it’s his character in general, he could simply just be a man who makes unfortunate decisions. It's clear that Odysseus is responsible for his own actions, like telling the Cyclops his name. This is an example of his hubris and overall poor decision making. At this point, Odysseus had been imprisoned, but found a way to escape. He could’ve been set and returned home with ease, but he decided to let his ego get the best of him and reveal

his identity. This only causes further damage to him because it turns out the Cyclops was Polyphemos, Poseidon’s son. This is primarily the reason why his journey home was so difficult. Poseidon was mad at him for blinding his son. The concept of destiny is subjective. Karma explains this. Karma is the idea that you’d get something in return for something else. Well, wouldn’t you be able to say that karma is the epitome of what you’re prone to do? If you do something frequently, it will create a pattern, which solidifies your destiny, or your end result. It is fairly likely this will remain unless you change what you’re doing. An example of this can be found in the Mahabharata. Yudhishthira seems to be addicted to gambling. His judgement was so badly clouded that he even bet his brothers and wife. One may say that’s what was meant to happen, but could this have been avoided? Yudishthera could have acknowledged his destructive patterns before he hit rock bottom. He could have become self aware and taken matters into his own hands to avoid his defeat. Surely, he could’ve gotten lucky and won. But, he needed to be realistic to truly win. Yudishthera could have backed down, and although he would’ve felt weak for doing so, it would have prevented a lot of damage. This can be described as taking control of your own destiny, for a lack of better terms. This exemplifies how engaging in these tendencies can leave you to live a life that isn’t necessarily yours to decide anymore. Destiny is often thought to be life’s purpose. You often hear people say, “what’s meant to be, will be.” But if you think about the average person’s response to what destiny might be, their answers may lead to something completely different. For example, a hard working student may think it’s her destiny to become a surgeon. But if she puts in the work, and reaps the reward,

wouldn’t this just be an example of cause and effect? Not only can one event cause another, but over time, it can cause a chain of reactions. Simply put, destiny is what you allow when you do not take control into your own hands. The important key take-away from learning about what destiny is, is that you can learn to control what happens in your life. You may not become a magical being, but you will become a better version of yourself. Living a life according to destiny might be predetermined because it’s not yours....