My previous post was about a person’s life and how it was influenced by the system.
I posed a question whether it was circumstance, system or choice that affected the way we think and then act.
Let’s have a closer look at a circumstance within the context of the post.
Jake and Mary got married because of an unexpected pregnancy.
The days of “shotgun weddings” meant that if the man made a woman pregnant, he had to do the right thing, make her an honest woman and marry her. If not, the indignant father would march the man off to the church, shotgun in hand.
I wonder why the woman was dishonest and not the man? Surely they were both guilty?
Abortion was unacceptable, contraception was not high tech or freely available, and religious views another factor.
A woman’s virtue or chastity was paramount if she was to marry a respectable man.
Honour and a good name were placed high on the value roll of society.
What influenced the above scenario?
Society, circumstances or choice?
WordWeb Pro defines circumstances as:
- A condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity.
- The set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event.
- Information that should be kept in mind when making a decision.
The word is a synonym to: destiny, fate, fortune and luck.
When you attribute your life to a set of circumstances then you are saying it is controlled by something you have no control over.
We often use the phrase in a bad context such as unforeseen circumstances. Please tell me how you could have foreseen the circumstances if they are associated with destiny and luck?
The saying a victim of circumstances backs up the above because it looks like the person is prey to another force.
The word victim is defined as: An unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance.
Notice how the words unfortunate and adverse are used.
Unfortunate is a person who suffers misfortune, whilst adverse is contrary to your interests or welfare. Once again circumstance is related to bad things happening to you that you have no control over.
The opposite of this would be a fortunate person which is defined as having unexpected good fortune and fortune is defined as a stroke of luck.
I have often heard people blame circumstances for the bad things that happen in their life and yet when good things happen luck gets the credit.
One thing that puzzles me is who or what controls good and bad luck?
Surely if you could find that out then you would be able to control your fate/destiny?
What are the factors involved to determine whether you will have good luck or bad luck?
Do you have to live a certain way, perform specific rituals, believe in the gods of luck or wear lucky charms?
In the light of the above information, what do you believe happened in Jake and Marys lives?
Was it a set of circumstances or was it just their passions that got the better of them?
Consider your own life and how your choices affected you.
If you are a pawn in the game of life with destiny and fate controlling your every move, then there is no point in doing anything as it is already predestined.
The life of a fatalist is pretty boring with no control over anything, living according to the doctrine of whatever will be, will be.
On the other hand, believing in circumstances, that are bound to luck and fortune, is similar to placing your life on the fall of loaded dice. Either way it means that something is pulling your strings.
I would not like to live imprisoned by destiny and never knowing which way the dice will fall. Would you?
Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.