Fate, fear and faith are interconnected concepts that often influence human behaviour and decision-making. Fate suggests predetermined events, while fear is a powerful emotion that can drive action or inaction. Faith, in contrast, is often seen as a belief in something beyond what can be seen or proven, and can be a source of strength and hope in the face of uncertainty. Faith and fear are two sides of the same coin. Therefore, choosing faith over fear enables us to block the ‘what if’ question that usually goes through our mind and disregard what we commonly call ‘fear of the unknown.’ With faith (in our selves or the Divine) we start to believe, and belief spurs us towards positive action.

Faith, in its broadest sense, is a strong belief or trust in something or someone, often without requiring proof or evidence. However, in truth, faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. It is often about implicit trust in the Divine. Having faith be it in Divinity or one’s own self is essential in life.

Fate As Opportunity To Change Destiny

Fate and destiny, while often used interchangeably, have nuanced differences in meaning. Fate generally refers to a predetermined course of events that are often seen as inevitable and beyond one’s control, while destiny often implies a predetermined course that can be influenced by one’s choices and actions. Fate is what puts opportunities in front of us while destiny is determined by our decisions. For instance, if one finds himself in a position of wealth or in a position of poverty, that is fate. But what one does being in that position of wealth or poverty, shapes his destiny and also impacts others around him. The one in position of wealth may use his wealth positively to build something good or useful or negatively to destroy something good or useful. In like manner, the person in a position of poverty may justify becoming a thief and harm his destiny and that of his victims or work honestly to better his destiny and the destiny of others.

Fear Factor

No one is immune to fear – it’s a basic instinct for survival. In the course of human evolution, it is people who feared the right dangers that survived to pass on their genes. In passing on their genes, the trait of fear and the response to it were selected as beneficial to the human race. During any calamity, fear is a natural reaction. However, when we decide to confront our fear with right knowledge and understanding, it transcends into courage. Every valiant soldier knows that courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man or woman is not one who does not feel afraid, but he or she who overcomes that fear.

A common fear that human beings generally have is the fear of losing. We fear losing what we have or whatever we hold close to our heart. However, it is a fact of life that nothing lasts forever. Everyone and everything that we hold on to so tightly and dearly comes with an expiry date. Wealth and position or relationships and happiness, all comes with an expiry date. We lose some while living and we lose all we ever had when we die.

Death, in fact, is the only certainty in life. We all have to go, sooner or later. However, we draw comfort from the fact that when the sun seems to set in one part of the hemisphere it rises in another. Death too is like the sun set. Between birth and death there is a bridge of time and we all need to cross it. The choice we have is to cross it fearfully or courageously. Joyfully or with despondency. Cross it positively and with purpose or cross it negatively without purpose. The tragedy of life is not death, but what we let die inside of us while we are still alive.

Faith As Light To Illuminate The Path

Faith is the bedrock of hope and a source of strength during challenging times. It illuminates the path that lies ahead and provides one a sense of direction and purpose when faced with uncertainty or adversity.

In Yasna 46.1 even Asho Zarathushtra cries out: “To what land shall I turn, and wither turning shall I go? For my kinsmen and my peers have deserted me. Not the people, nor their wicked rulers favor me. How shall I satisfy Thee, O Mazda Ahura?” However, in the Yasna 46.2 Zarathushtra answers his own question by stating: “Take notice of it, Ahura, offering the support which a friend should grant to a friend. Let me see the power of good thinking allied with truth!”

Hence, literally in the same breath, Asho Zarathushtra expresses his anguish but quickly recovers putting his faith in Ahura Mazda’s friendship and the power of good thinking allied with truth.

When Faith Falters

Faith is having the belief that things will work out despite the uncertainty of the future and good things will ultimately happen regardless the current situation. When one has done everything, one could to overcome a problem, faith is the only thing that can give one hope for things to work out. However, faith can falter and feeling forsaken by God during extreme pain or difficulty is not an uncommon human experience.

Faith should be a source of strength and comfort during both good and bad times. Maintaining faith in challenging situations allows individuals to find peace in God’s presence, while gratitude and humility during good times can strengthen one’s faith. Whether facing hardship or enjoying the bounties of life, faith should be our cornerstone for hope and resilience.

It is a fact that whenever something good happens we generally take it for granted and seldom question why we had such a stroke of good luck. But, when something not so good happens, we start questioning why and try to find someone or something to blame it on. Usually, one starts to question the Divine. Agatha Christie rightly wrote in her book titled, ‘The Moving Finger’: “There is too much tendency to attribute to God the evils that man does of his own free will. God doesn’t really need to punish us. We’re so busy punishing ourselves.”

When Feeling Broken

As human beings we all go through a phase when we feel broken at heart or in spirit. To temporarily feel broken is normal but to stay broken is undesirable.

In the Bhagwad Gita, Arjuna breaks down in front of Krishna. He expresses his deep anguish. He expresses his many doubts and despite being a great warrior, he fell apart completely and due to deep emotional turmoil and moral conflict he literally fell to the ground in a state of complete despair. Krishna then admonished him to do his duty and act without attachment to the result. Arjun was told not to let his personal pains dictate who he really was. He had a duty to perform. His best option was to carry his personal sadness in one hand but do what was the right thing to do with the other. And, so, Arjuna rises and not because the situation changed, but because his understanding of the situation changed. The Divine, in the form of Krishna, gave him the right perspective instead of escape from his pain or his duty. Krishna did not give him comfort. He gave him courage – to do what was right.

The moral to derive from the Gita is simple – we are allowed to cry, doubt and question everything. But when it’s time to act, when duty beckons, let the deeper part within – the part that knows who we really are beyond the moment of doubt and grief, rise to the occasion and respond to that call of duty. The wisdom is not in avoiding the fall. The wisdom is in rising anyway.

Choose Hope With Wisdom

The Pahlavi Dinkard (Book 3) asserts: “Be it known that, whatever wisdom and happiness exist now, are owing to the principles that give strength of wisdom and the power of happiness. Among these, by means of the proper power appertaining to the soul, Ohrmazd reaches into the heart of the acquirer of wisdom, and the power of obtaining the wishes, reaches into the heart of the acquirer of wisdom. And on that wisdom reaching into the mind, a path is found by the mind that is obedient to Ohrmazd and is pure, to see what relates to the invisible; and so, man becomes worthy of fresh and superior happiness.”

It is interesting to observe that acquisition of wisdom goes hand in hand with happiness. One who is wise is also happy. Divinity enters the heart of the acquirer of wisdom and makes that individual experience ‘fresh and superior happiness’.