THE WAVES OF FATE
"I am
the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
- William Ernest Henley
How many times have you heard the expression, "go
with the flow." This "flow" is fate, and
there is more you can do than just "go" with
it. In fact, it is blindly and ignorantly "going
with the flow" that will lead one to peril should a
waterfall appear somewhere downstream. Take heart
however, for you don't have to be like the other lemmings
in the world! One can steer clear of the cliffs which
loom ahead!
Look at salmon. If salmon simply "went with the
flow" when they spawned, they would never make it
upstream, and their entire species would die at sea.
Fortunately, you don't always have to fight against the
stream to get where you want to go! Although you
certainly could, fighting your way upstream against the
current is the most difficult way of getting where you
want to go.
Look instead at dolphins. Have you ever seen the way that
dolphins often ride the wave at the bow of a sailboat?
The dolphins ride the wave created by the sailboat as it
displaces the water in front of it. This provides the
dolphins with the opportunity of going certain place with
little effort if they choose to do so. Fate, is much like
this wave.
To deny fate is to deny the future, even if you do
nothing, something will be done with or to you - that
"something" is called fate. Fate is like unto a
giant wave of potential futures swelling up behind you.
If you do nothing, the wave will toss you around and plow
over you. If you fight for stillness, you will quickly
tire as the wave crashes against you, and you will
eventually lose your footing. If you swim against the
swell, it will seem as though you are going nowhere and
have no control over what is happening around you. If you
swim along the crest of the wave, you will end up
somewhere other than where you intended to go as the wave
itself is moving.
People have drowned fighting against a wave when all they
needed to do was relax in order to float above it. If you
relax, and move with a wave, you begin to notice certain
things. First, you notice that you need not swim, you
need only ride the wave. Second, now that no effort is
spent swimming, you can steer yourself on the wave like a
surfer- you become master of your fate. What thrill, to
surf the waves of fate! Third, now that you're surfing,
you notice that you always beat the wave wherever you go,
and that the wave is following you and carries with it
great power, the power of the net forces of your
environment.
Fate is the plan God has for you and that you have for
God, this is the swell which rises around you. One may
contribute to this swell unknowingly out of ones beliefs
and ones past beliefs. But since one may become a part of
God, one may therefore become both the surfer, and a part
of the wave itself. The self is the surfer and the wave
is the forces of the environment ultimately controlled by
God. In actuality, it would be more correct to say
"God is the master of my fate" than to say
"I am the master of my fate" since it is God
which provides the waves to surf, and God who is
ultimately in charge of ones future.
It is no accident that you do the things you do and run
into the people you do. When you become a surfer on the
wave of fate, all your goals seem to become achieved
effortlessly, and you notice that you meet many other
successful surfers on the wave of fate. But it is not by
chance. What many normally call coincidence is actually
fate. Fate is a real controllable force for those who
know how to use it. It is the ability to seize
opportunity. Like a surfer, a master of fate knows how to
be in the right place at the right time in order to catch
a wave and ride it where he or she wants to go.
So many people, ignorant of how to use fate, swim against
swells and find themselves going nowhere. They swim
harder and harder baffled at their lack of progress. If
one opens ones eyes and looks, one will begin to see
signs of the waves of fate all around. Fate is the sure
result of ones beliefs, and thus behaviors and past
behaviors. Because of the delicate balance of all things,
if you do as little as smile to someone who needs a smile
it will set off an entire sequence of events that most
certainly will come back to you. Even a smile creates
ripples in the fabric of time which could conceivably be
detected at the edge of the known universe.
All of ones behaviors and past behaviors create waves,
and once one has set those waves in motion, one cannot
stop them until they have run their course. One may only
ride them or reverse their course by creating new waves
in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, since any wave
one creates will affect the environment, the resulting
wave may become too big for one to escape from,
especially when other people get involved.
Just as people say, "Speak of the devil..."
when they talk of someone who suddenly appears by fate,
be careful what you ask for, as you just might get it.
Fate is the sum of the consequences of ones beliefs, past
beliefs, and forces of the environment upon one, which
determines ones future. To master fate, master
opportunity. The future you harvest is the future you
have sown.
WHERE DO WAVES COME FROM?
Lets make a distinction between waves and swells. Surfers
surf on waves which have broken rather than swells which
don't break, but which may become a wave at some time. A
wave pushes anything that happens to be in front of it in
the direction that the wave is going. A swell, on the
other hand, simply lifts and lowers whatever is on top of
it as the swell moves on by underneath. Waves break near
the shore when the depth of the water becomes less than
one seventh of the distance between wave crests.
One is subject to many forces in ones environment. These
forces are driving one in the direction of the net result
of these forces. This direction will be ones future if
one does nothing to get out of the way of any force or
does not apply ones own force to any existing force. One
is a force in ones own environment as well as the
environment of others. One has the power to direct ones
own force in such a way as to best direct ones own
future. Any choice one makes to do or not do something
will change the overall "net result" of the
environmental forces, thereby changing ones future.
Any previous force one has exerted on the environment
contributes to the wave of fate. A force one exerts may
be increased, decreased, reversed, steered, or allowed to
remain the same based on the affect ones force has on the
environment. A force one exerts on the environment never
goes away, it may only be canceled by another force in
the opposite direction. A force behind ones own force
increases ones own force by the amount of the additional
force. It is thus imperative for one to realize what
forces are preexisting in ones environment and to think
about the net result of adding or subtracting ones own
force to the environment.
Another type of force is the potential force. For
example, if one writes a message on a wall, it is not a
force until it is seen. A force which does not effect any
existing force until something in particular happens is a
potential force.
If ones body is not shackled, yet one feels imprisoned,
and cannot move to make the changes one needs to make,
there must be some force of evil imprisoning ones mind.
Illuminate this evil for only the truth will set one
free. Often the evils one carries are the result of pains
and fears one has wrongly acquired.
WHERE TO SURF THE WAVES OF FATE
Obviously if ones environment is more susceptible to the
forces one exerts, then the waves of fate created by
these forces will be greater. If you wanted to be a
famous actress, for example, you could exert force all
day long in Timbuctu to no avail. The environment of
Timbuctu is not going to create much of a swell that one
may ride to fame. However, the environment may swell
enough to propel one to L.A. or New York. There are
certain shores and points where surfers go to surf. These
places provide an environment conducive for surfing. You
must find the environment that is right for you. Don't
expect to beat out all the competition just because you
have decided to enter the race. Practice makes perfect.
Perhaps you can hone your skills in your local
environment before setting out for the big leagues. After
all, while riding the waves of fate may be new to you, it
is certainly not new for many seasoned surfers out there.
WHEN TO SURF THE WAVES OF FATE
Even when you have found a place to nurture your fate,
the environment itself may change day to day. Just as
sometimes the ocean is too rough to surf, the environment
itself may be too unsteady for you. During a riot, for
example, some small force has set off a huge swell upon
the environment affecting many and causing each of those
to exhibit certain behavior like dominos falling on each
other. Unless one is the reason for the riot, any force
one applies will be for naught until this tidal wave has
run its course. If you cannot ride a wave, steer clear of
its force, as it will result in creating a distraction in
your life.
Surfing the waves of fate when it is calm is also
fruitless, as any force you apply will only be your own.
Add to an existing swell in order to get some movement of
the wave. An environment that is somewhat irritated to
begin with is more likely to be moved to action by your
force. Adding fuel to a fire is easier than starting a
fire from scratch, and fuel without fire is for naught.
CHOOSING A WAVE OF FATE
The forces in ones environment are both good and evil
coming at one in all directions. If the "net"
force of the environment is swelling towards evil rather
than good, than steer clear and do not ride that wave.
Imagine if you got caught in a frenzy of looters and soon
found yourself looting along with them, this is the kind
of thing that can happen by riding the wrong swell. Since
many of these waves of fate are bigger than you are, you
must be careful which waves you help create or get
involved in. An evil swell may be difficult to escape if
there are many people involved.
Many people recognize the power of a wave, but their
attempts to ride it are for naught if it has passed them
by already. Swimming after a wave is not the same thing
as riding it and any force you exert on a wave that has
passed you by only helps propel those riding the wave and
pushes that wave even further away from you. Do not chase
after a wave you have missed.
Picking the correct wave is an art learned through
experience. Once you have learned to surf the waves of
fate, you may begin to surf the waves you want. Begin by
catching another person's wave and riding it along with
them. It takes an entire environment to create a wave,
but since only a handful of people even know how to surf,
only a few will be riding the wave. Sometimes the person
who started the swell will find his or herself swept up
in the wave they have started and propelled forward
baffled at what is happening and the power of the wave
behind them.
Since waves are the sum of an environment of forces
moving in a certain direction, if you do not want to get
caught up in one, then "dive under the wave" by
removing yourself from being acted upon by the forces
which make up the wave.
RIDING A WAVE
Remember that once you have decided to get in front of
the sum of the forces in your environment, that it is
just a swell of many possible futures and that by using
your personal force, you can steer your way along the
front of the swell that is driving your future. Look
where the wave is taking you and avoid the rocks. Use the
wave to steer you where you want to go. Do not take fate
lightly as it is your future.
WHAT IS MY SURFBOARD?
Your surfboard is the thing you ride on the wave of fate.
Your surfboard is what you represent to all in the
environment. It is what you do. It is that thing which
will enable you to lead. Your surfboard is a belief, and
thus behavior. It is the idea you represent. You are not
your surfboard, your surfboard is just your vehicle which
you are using to ride the waves.
ACCIDENTS
Nothing happens without cause. Even if a plane falls on
your house, this "accident" is caused by one or
more certain things: pilot error, plane malfunction, bad
weather, and the fact that your house is in the flight
path. Although the probability of a plane landing on your
house is low, it nevertheless is certain given the sum of
certain possible facts. As horrible as accidents are,
they are the result of someone's fate- by getting oneself
into a position in which an accident might happen. You
must realize that the wave of fate you ride is leading
you to a certain place. While the ride is enjoyable,
you must know where it is you are going or you will end
up on the rocks or wiped out on the reef.
THE WAVES KEEP COMING
Don't be discouraged if you feel your wave has passed you
by, or if a wave you have been riding is coming to an
end. The waves keep coming. If you realize this, you will
not ride a dying wave or quit surfing altogether. Another
wave will be along any minute and it will grow larger
with your force.
STEALING THUNDER
Wouldn't you know it! As soon as you are basking in your
deserved glory, the "King Surfer" comes out of
nowhere to steal your thunder. Don't be upset. Realize
that you are already a success! Now, you are competing
with the best, before you hardly treaded water. When you
go hiking is it not the hike that is enjoyable? For when
you reach your destination it is over. Enjoy the ride.
