October Monthly Blog

I think that everyone in the class would agree that one of the biggest issues presented in this month's reading is the concept of fate, and how much of fate is truly in our control. Sure we have various names for it, such as luck, skill (in some cases), chance, or destiny. In the end though, they are all relatively the same concept presented in different ways for different situations.The issue came up repeatedly in Oedipus, in fact answering the question of whether or not we control our fate was pretty much the whole point of the play. Socrates' message appears to be that we do not in fact control our fate. However, I think Socrates skipped a step in his play. What exactly is "fate"? What is reality? And whose fate are we supposed to be in control of? As a connection example, think of a college application. My college "fate" or future is in the hands of the admissions departments of the colleges I have applied to. So I have no control over my own fate in this case. However, the college official has the power to change my fate and destiny based on how he feels about my application. But I don't believe that that is a true definition of fate. Fate is nothing more than serendipitous reality, or unfortunate reality in some cases. Reality, in my opinion, is what the person defining reality makes of it. Reality is a collection of influences and inputs from our senses and past experiences. Therefore, I believe that you can control fate and reality because reality is what you make of it. People with mental disorders, for example, who we would call "crazy", usually believe strongly in their own brand of "reality". That doesn't mean they are correct, but in their own minds they are correct because their reality is the culmination of their sensory inputs (or what's left of them). Similarly, one can control "fate", both for themselves and for others, by choosing what influences and senses to listen to and act upon. You don't normally act upon your sense of touch when running from a fire, for example. Therefore you DO have that input, but you influence your "fate" by not relying solely on that input. Again, just to summarize, I disagree with Socrates. Fate is reality, and reality is literally what you decide it is. Others might not agree with you, but your own sense of reality cannot be changed unless you choose to believe in the influences they are having on you.