One of the most beautiful parts of youthhood is the excitement that accompanies the desire to know what our future holds for us. Life, for young people, is an adventure that is simply waiting to begin. Nevertheless, there are always some doubts that lurk at the edges of our excitement. There are some things that we simply do not know, and some things that no one can explain to us. For instance, what is it that truly determines our destinies?
Life is only meaningful because it carries the potential to bring new outcomes when new actions are made. What if, however, our outcomes are predetermined for us? What if we end up travelling the same direction regardless of which path we choose?
The world is powered by many interconnected cycles. These cycles allow the passing down of values and knowledge from one generation to another. However, they can also play a role in determining the direction of the lives of people who are part of these cycles. This is why we often find traumas and many other situations being repeated across several generations. Yet, these cycles are not the only determinants of the outcomes of a life. After all, human beings can be quite resilient and spontaneous so it would be unfair to say that one’s past determines their future. Regardless of this, the world seldom finds issues in the unfair act of pre-labelling individuals based on things they have not yet done and experiences which they have not yet had.
Recently, I discovered the art of palmistry. Palmistry is a practice which originates and is still carried out in many parts of Asia and Europe. Palmistry involves predicting an individual’s fate by examining the features of their hand.
Those who practice this art can glean information about the health, education and careers of people simply from the lines, shapes and bumps on their hands. One very interesting feature of this art is the fact that depending on gender, one hand is used to indicate the destiny that a person was born with, while the other is used to determine the destiny that the person has made for themselves using their own choices. Thus, even an art form which is entirely based on making predictions about a pre-set destiny allows room for changes that occur due to personal choices that we make. Even the creases which are termed ‘fate lines’ can be different on both hands, depending on an individual’s choices.
We can neither change our past, nor can we immediately change a society which has an unfortunate tendency of unfairly labelling individuals. We can, however, make choices that can change the direction of a supposedly pre-set journey. Although we may make mistakes or find ourselves in negative situations, the gift of tomorrow always brings a chance for a different outcome. The only limitations for who we can be are the labels we place on ourselves. If even fate lines are dynamic, why should we force ourselves to be static?