Strings of Destiny By Ogbonna Nwuke

Judas the Iscariot certainly knew about the prophesy of betrayal. Yet, he would be the one through whom the scriptures, as it is written, would be fulfilled.

Moments after the betrayal of he who was born the Christ, Judas would swing stone cold from a tree branch.

Herod understood what damage the murder of John the Baptist could cause the royal family as well as the children of Israel on account of his unusual relationship with Herodas and her daughter.

But Herold could do very little about the execution of the Baptist because of a kingly promise that had left the bow like an arrow.

Is it possible that Judas and Herod were victims of destiny? Or is it possible to posit that they simply fulfilled their destiny?

We may never know.

Life is like a catalogue of predictions associated with an astrologer’s horoscope. A lucky number here,  a lucky colour there and a couple of isolated but related events that are driven by a string of planetary influences, sometimes predestined.

For some, destiny – that which largely determines what will happen in the life of individuals – truly exists. It is not surprising that we talk in terms of our destiny.

Among traditional Yorubas for example,  diviners of Ifa are called in when children are born to foretell what the future holds. This practice is borne out of the belief that destiny has a huge role to play in life.

Within Indians communities, there is an effort to match the horoscopes of would-be brides and grooms, at least to assure their families that destiny has brought their children together.

To those who believe, destiny is more than a game changer. Destiny is life in a sense. A determinant of a range of things that occur in a lifetime.

So, when we climb great heights, overcome difficult obstacles on our path and enjoy a feeling of success, our breakthrough is the product of our destiny.

When it turns sour as it sometimes does, it may well be that the devil either played a hand. Or that a twist in our destiny has just occurred.

Herein lies what some see as the supernatural link which connects man’s advancement in the physical to the remote control that nature structures around the affairs of men.

To accept this perspective is to believe without much doubt in the notion that man proposes but God disposes. This view further reenforces the notion that man is a puppet in the hand of God.

For others, destiny simply doesn’t exist anywhere in the books. Life, from their point of view, is war.

For this class, bullets fired in battle fronts need not be for the enemy alone. Since we talk very little in terms of morality in war, so-called “friendly” foes do not deserve to be spared. Which is why men may be victims of friendly fire. Why we refer to acts of betrayal and why foes who masquerade as friends are more deadly and poisonous.

After all, this group of people will ask, is man not supposed to possess his possession? Shouldn’t he take dominion of the earth? Isn’t the attainment of goals that we seek, whatever we do, sufficient justification for our actions?

Accept it, reject it, destiny hangs around our necks like a cloak. In a sense, it is a hideous traveller which accompanies man on a journey through life.

Like man’s shadow, destiny walks with man and works for man. As a silent companion, destiny like a shadow  trails a man’s run in the sun of his life and appears to stop where a man halts in his track for any reason.

Infact, the existence of a trailing shadow, it is possible to say, separates man from other spirit forms which may have access to our world. So it may be for the living, when the issue is, what destiny holds for man.

To reach certain heights as we stroll through life, our paths cross the pathways of others. The contributions of those we meet somehow help to propel us in the direction of our destiny.

Accordingly, there are persons who believe in manipulation, who see interactions and friendship, as mere chance meets.

Such persons are obviously victims of a troubled super ego.

They are men on a voyage of self reinvention and self redefinition who are ready to discard friendly relationship as they do of shirts and trousers.

Yet, to some others, who see the need for increased social networking as well as the supernatural linkages that make such ties significantly rational, there can be no better proof of the existence of destiny or the natural order that aligns all things. An order that creates the necessary synergy which shapes our worldview, defines our actions and relationships in the public space, and engenders growth by bringing people of like minds together.

Those who believe in the destination that destiny destines for them  remember the helping hands they receive from others throughout  the journey of life. They do not forget the proverbial ladder with which they climbed.

Those who howl, growl and roar so they can be feared; who cultivate a blackmailing culture so they can outdo others; who only pretend to see the contributions that they make in the lives of others; and ignore the sacrifices that others close to them have made, do not tell the honest truth.

Such persons rather succeed in shoving aside ladders that took them to  commanding heights on the way to the realisation of a stage of their destiny.

To get to a new pinnacle in pursuit of their dream destiny,  such persons attempt to transform from mere men to gods and goddesses. Such is the nature of growth and a feeling of power that close associates who cannot praise sing become foes to be cast away by the roadside.

In place of enduring friendships which made a great difference, sugar – tongued pyschophants take the driving seat and take the desire for praise singing to dizzying heights.

At least, we all can recall what Hitler turned to after the Third Reich took root. And remember the extent of the fabricated propaganda which tried to turn Mobutu Sese Sekou to an immortal.

This may be seen in some quarters as evidence that man has the capacity to control his destiny or shape the destinies of others in a way that was not predestined.

It would mean that man possesses the power to change what is written  or ordained through the deliberate manipulation of the metaphysical.

All man needs to do to achieve that purpose is ask, so he can find, or knock so that the doors that lead to hallways which stack the secrets  of an unfolding future can be open unto him.

To see what is and to change what ought to be requires enormous control of the elements that turn men to mere puns in the hands of those who have arrived at the height of such power.

It would require information of a rare nature which could be innate, instinctive or acquired in order to unlock innermost secrets in the affairs of man, which point in the direction of the future.

Incidentally, such vision in some cases and the power of great perception in other circumstances, which awaken such vibrations and insights, are not as easy to behold. So we have eyes  but we cannot see, have ears but cannot hear.

In all, there is a season for all things and this explains why nothing lasts forever.

To see the future is indeed to be knowledgeable and powerful for such an art is rare. But to attempt to temper with the destiny of others in realms that are beyond the control of ordinary man in such a manner that it retards his progress is to do evil.

To rejoice at what seems like the misfortune of others is to dig an own grave of great misfortune. So, we are enjoined to rejoice with those who rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn.

Yet destiny as the saying goes can be delayed. It cannot be denied. This should indeed be a precious lesson to learn. A great reminder that the ups and downs in our lives are ordered, not by mortals who seek to interfer with the order of things. But by elemental forces and immortals who hold the keys to the various mansions of which we have been told.

Life stares me in the face. I really can feel it. I crave for peace, knowledge and understanding. Will I find it?

My heart seeks explanations to issues there are; explanations to mysteries which lurk around as we stroll through life. Shall we be able to see behind the mask?

Answers to all of these would certainly be up to destiny; and up to the will of Providence which gives and takes; tugging tenderly as it does at the strings of life which translate into strings of destiny.

It is well. So long folks!