DESTINY AND FATE

The Sumerians made a distinction between destiny and fate. Destiny (Nam) was an unalterable end
result that could not be changed. Fate (Namtar) had within it the possibility of change through free will,
righteous behavior, prayer, etc., provided destiny did not overrule the outcome. A predetermined
Destiny applied to people, kings, countries, the Gods themselves, even to the Earth and other planets.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient king whose father was mortal and mother a god, he attempted to
change his destiny as a mortal by returning on a long journey to the cedar mountain and again in the
Sinai peninsula with his companion, Enkidu. Though his goal was to attain godhood, he was beset upon
his path by many obstacles. Fate could not override his ultimate destiny (to die as a mortal). He was
fated to be a king; he was not destined to avoid death.
Gilgamesh was a man possessed of great power and intellect. He had all the accoutrements of an
empowered person, including the foresight to see his own destiny. Even so, he made an impassioned
heros journey to slay the obstacles and beings that stood between him and immortality. In the end, he
failed to achieve his goal.
The epic of Gilgamesh is about destiny and fate. There are paths set for us that in some accord with
our higher Self are unalterable and unavoidable. Yet, there is always the free will and the action behind
it that defines the nature of our character, no matter the challenge.
Whether Gilgamesh achieved his goal was not as important as the effort he expended in attempting it.
If you notice, this ancient Sumerian tale has survived to this day, because it speaks of epic struggles in
our own lives to attempt to change our destiny, while the little fates (accomplishments of character) in
our life may go unnoticed.
Better it is to apply the power of your will in concordance with your fate, the possibility of change,
than to work against the nature of your destiny.
What is our ultimate destiny? To realize ourselves as inseparable from that which we seek. That we
live in a harmonious oneness. That our goal of oneness is us, now, not at some later imagined level of
awareness.
Better it is to fiercely accept yourself as whole and complete in the oneness, than to fight the
obstacles and beings of an imagined destiny of separation and suffering. Better it is to be the warrior
king, in charge of your free will to choose, to accept your struggle as the noble effort to reach your
ultimate destiny, one with all things, whole and complete.
**Actually, Destiny (destination) is where you end up and Fate is how you end up there. Everyone
shapes their own Destiny and Destiny is what we become in the end. Karma has nothing to do with
Destiny or Fate. Karma is one of the factors that influence this course. You are responsible for your
own karma. Karma is a Sanskrit word that roughly translates to action. Every action has
consequences. Karma is about the nature of our intentions. Each action a person takes, good or bad,
will affect him or her at some time in the future. Whatever we put out in the Universe is what comes
back to us. Can you change your karma? The answer isYes.