The Fate is in the Character.

The Fate is in the Character.
January 17, 2010

I asked my mom how her new book was coming. I had read the draft of the first part and was anxious to hear how it turned out. She said she was just finding out herself because “fate is determined by character.”

“Think about it,” she said. I did.

A story reveals its characters by how they act in the situations they are placed in. We learn that the benevolent character, when tempted enough, is actually greedy and evil or that the villain, when faced with deep sorrow is compassionate. In a riveting story, the characters are revealed, layer by layer as the situations take them deeper and deeper into their own psyche.

·         Will the character cheat on a spouse when the temptation is great enough? And how will he or she deal with the after effects of their indiscretion?

·         Will he steal the money, knowing he will never be found out? How will he react when he is caught?

·         Faced with death or torture, will he relent? If he does, how will he redeem himself?

In the case of a story, the outcome reveals the character. In the case of our lives, our character determines the outcomes. The current state of our lives is based on who we are; the choices we made, the risks we took or avoided, when we stood firm and when we gave in — our character.

Of course some of us have had easier lives than others. Every day, someone wins a lottery while someone else is hit by a car. But the circumstances of our lives are not that state of our lives.

 

Our Lives

·         Am I in a healthy relationship?

·         Do I have good friends?

·         Am I physically healthy?

·         Do I get the help I need?

·         Do I have enough?

·         Am I happy?

Our Character

·         Am I a good friend?

·         Do I help whenever I am able?

·         Do I take care of myself and my environment?

·         Do I give those that pay me great value?

·         Am I trusting? Am I trustworthy? Do I tell the truth?

·         Do I provide a valuable service to the community?

·         Do I always do the ‘right’ thing

 

And how would you react if the ‘author’ were to turn up the intensity? Would you make same choices faced with extreme temptation, risk, or pain?

Who am I, deep down inside where no one can ever see and I often choose not to look? How has that character, reflected in the situations surrounding my past created this moment in my life?