ROGATIONIST COLLEGE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

KM 52, LALAAN II, SILANG, CAVITE

That Thing Called Meant to Be: The Implications of Destiny in Our Lives

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for
Philosophy

By:

Jomarie D. Guevarra
Grade 12 St. Mary Magdalene

Submitted to:

Bro. Alex Henon, RCJ

July 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION .. 2

BEING MEANT TO BE .... 4

OUR FUTURE AND OUR DESTINY .. 4

DESTINY IN TERMS OF LOVE .. 5

THE ACTUALITY OF DESTINY . 7

CONCLUSION .. 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY 10
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1. Introduction

That Thing Called Tadhana (Internationally titled as That Thing Called Meant-To-Be)

is a 2014 movie written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone, which chronicles the adventures of a

newly-heartbroken girl, with too much baggage (emotional and literal) accompanied by a new

friend as they travel and find ways to help her get over her ex. A purely coincidental event in which

our two leads meet, their sudden friendship at the start deepens throughout the movie, which helps

our female lead move on from her past beau. The impromptu travel that they embark on brings

them closer to each other, revealing to each other parts of them hidden long ago. Their instant

friendship eventually blossoms into something more. The movie ends with our leads not explicitly

stated to be together, but hopefully if they werent together by the end, they were on their way to

being together.

Tadhana, which can either be translated into the English words destiny or meant to

be, is what led our two leads to meet. Both of them had no connection to each other whatsoever,

the only certain thing about them was that both of them were Filipinos who had vacations in Rome,

Italy, and that they were to be on the same flight back home to the Philippines. The film exposes

us to events brought by serendipity, which is defined as good luck in finding valuable things

unintentionally. Their meeting provides us an example of serendipity, of an event which was

destined to happen. Tadhana brought our two leads together. A case of being in the right place

at the right time. But was the happenstance of their meeting just purely coincidental? Were there

no other factors which contributed to their fateful meeting?

I myself believe in destiny, of things meant to be. Though, I am constantly torn between

two things: the validity of our free will in the choices that we make and their outcomes, and the

likely actuality that our futures are already sealed, that whatever we may do has already been
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written in stone and cannot be changed or revoked. These two make me question whether or not I

have a say in what my future holds. Whenever I ask for advice from other people regarding

situations where I need to make a choice, the most common advice they give me is: Whatever

happens, was meant to happen. In terms of romantic relationships and crushes, Kung kayo

talaga, edi kayo talaga. (If you and him are meant to be, then you really are for each other.) In

other words, you simply let fate do its job and hope for the best without intervening.

However, there are still those who say that if we want something, we should chase after it.

If we really want something, we should do whatever we can in order to achieve what we want. We

must use our free will and act accordingly for us to reach our goal. In this case, we disregard

destiny as something that is set in stone. People may either think that they are destined to achieve

their goal, or they may not think that but still do their utmost best to triumph over their goal. Yet

again, in terms of romantic relationships and crushes, Kung gusto mong magtagal kayo, gagawin

mo lahat, hindi mo iaasa sa tadhana. (If you want your relationship to last, you'll do something

about it, you won't rely on destiny.) Our goals require our actions; they require people to do

something before we are rewarded.

In my integration paper, I would like to further explain my topic, That Thing Called Meant

to Be: The Implications of Destiny in Our Lives. I aim to identify whether our destiny is really

set and unchangeable, or whether our actions have an effect on our future. By answering the

following question, my topic can be further understood: Being self-aware of the implications that

our destiny is sealed and can no longer be changed, can we still exercise our free will and make

decisions in the now hoping for a different or better outcome, or do we simply give in and let our

fate do the rest?

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2. Being Meant to Be

2.1 Our future and our destiny

Destiny, which can also be referred to as fate, is commonly understood as the preordained

course of events (Raphals, 2003). For something to be destined is for something to be meant to be.

In pagan faith, destiny is the fate to which a person is necessarily predestined. Their destiny

remains constant throughout without change no matter how they intervene, their destiny remains

the same.

Destiny is not generally viewed as something negative; rather, it is viewed as the course

that life takes. Unfortunately, I have conceptualized destiny as the inevitable future I will

experience, regardless of the actions I do in the present. Even if I am not a pagan, I personally do

not like the idea that no matter what I do, my actions would become for naught. That under the

grand scheme of things, the things I do would have no importance to the state that I am in in the

future.

In Greek mythology, the Fates, or Moirae (literal translation of fate in Greek), were the

personification of Destiny. The 3 sisters who held the strings of life in their hands were also the

ones who set the limits on the Greek gods. As stated by Alexandre Ribiero (2013), the Fates

assigned which fields of action, honor, and privileges were to be given to each god. And since they

had that kind of control over the gods, the Fates could thus act upon mortal human beings.

Writings such as those in Greek mythology and modern literature influenced my

perceptions of destiny and fate. They also influenced my views on free will. With influences such

as those, it is not so questionable as to why I view destiny the way I do. Ive mulled in my mind
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whether or not our free will is just an illusion given to us by God to make us think we are indeed

free beings, and yet I am fully aware that our God would not fool us into believing Him.

2.2 Destiny in terms of love

One of the most popular applications of destiny is in romantic relationships. People clamor

and wish for the one they are destined to be with til the end of their days. From a young age, we

are exposed to what being with the right person may do for us and our happiness. Being with the

person that we are meant to be with signals that we are on the right path, that you are able to get

things right in your life. The people who are destined for us are called our soulmates.

Ariadne Green (2012) shares that people who are soulmates have a mutual destiny. It is

divine destiny to unite with your soulmate and fulfill your lives through bonds of love and

friendship. The way soulmates meet by chance, or so we believe as coincidences, may be

considered by others as a miracle which marks the start of your journey in life together. In Greens

words, Your path is no longer a solitary one without companionship and support but rather a path

of unity and synergistic experiences that can offer you fulfillment time and time again.

However, Jason Wachob, the CEO and founder of mindbodygreen and the author of

Wellth, shares that we meet not only one soulmate, but 3 different kinds. We have the first soulmate

whom romances you dearly, yet you are not each others end game. Still, when this soulmate

manifests in your life, you learn powerful lessons. They become the most influential teachers in

our lives. Theyre the ones you intensely hope are for keeps, the people you wish you could have

forever with. Unfortunately, they arent. They are the relationships which dont work out and

arent meant to work out.

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The second soulmate is the one. The actual one you get to spend your life with in happiness

and hardships. Theyre the person youre meant to be with through and through. Like the first

soulmate, they make you a better person, but the difference between this one and the former is that

the second soulmate stays with you in any way they can, no matter the circumstances. As

previously stated by Green, this soulmate is the right one who comes at the right time.

The third soulmate is no lover, but a platonic friend whom you have in your life as long as

you can. No matter the length of time since the last time you saw them, both of you will speak to

each other as if that time didnt exist. You two may grow apart or someone moves away due to

unforeseeable circumstances, but youll still remain as close friends even if the frequency of seeing

each other has lessened.

As a person who has been influenced to believe and wait for her soulmate, Im sure that I

havent met the second type yet. Nevertheless, I may have met the first type of soulmate, someone

I wished could have been permanent in my life yet was not. And honestly, I understand why they

werent meant to stay, even if at the same time I wished that they could. I do not chase perfection

because I know that doesnt exist in terms of people and personalities, and I am aware that

hardships are always bound to catch up with any couple. But that doesnt mean that I dont believe

in soulmates. I believe in the person who will build me up to be better, in the person that wont

depress me but help me in becoming the better person I can be. I believe in being the same towards

my soulmate.

Im sure, however, that I have met the third type of soulmate. The consistency of their

presence in my life comforts me, and simply knowing that one simple message, I can count on

them to be there for me.

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Fate is a universal law and cosmic principle that offers us our just due, what we deserve

as opposed to what we think we deserve (Green, 2012).

2.3 The actuality of destiny

As defined by Catholic Culture, destiny, in general, is the preordained order of events.

From our birth and way before that, our lives have been planned ahead not by our parents, but by

God. As said by Rick Warren (2014), God planned your destiny long before you were even born.

He planned it from the foundation of the earth. The things which we do and the events which

happen to us have been planned by God from the start. From the creation up until where we are

right now in our lives is the product of God and His plan.

Gods plan for creation is an ultimately good plan since it is Gods plan. Scripture

meaningfully states that there is indeed a plan. Many passages from the bible indicate how God

has already planned everything, as well as every detail necessary for the plans completion.

(Deffinbaugh, R. 2004).

In this case, everything in the world is conditioned and takes place according to necessity.

By becoming aware of the problem of necessity we turn it into freedom. The philosophers of the

world sought whoever governed the universe: destiny or gods? According to Heraclitus, everything

depended on destiny, and destiny meant necessity. The essence of destiny was reason, which

guided everything.

In contrast to the previously discussed topic, our destinies are not entirely laid out for us

like I thought they were.

Most people associate these words (destiny and fate) for a future which they cannot change

nor escape. Those who link destiny and fate to a future they have no control over are fatalists.
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Fatalism is commonly used in reference to an attitude of defeat in the face of some

seemingly inevitable future event. Philosophers usually use the word to refer to the view that we

are powerless to do anything other than what we can actually do (Rich, 2015).

Fatalists have defeatist attitudes when faced with the possibility of having an inevitable

future. They accept things right away, rather than resisting against the expected. Aristotle

mentions, as a corollary of the conclusion that everything that happens, happens of necessity, that

there would be no need to deliberate or to take trouble (thinking that if we do this, this will happen,

but if we do not, it will not).

Upon learning this, it is apparent that Ive been embodying a fatalistic attitude towards my

destiny. I do not exactly fear the possible inevitability of my fate, rather, I only question whether

my actions of today have any effect on my future. I may have slightly taken on the beliefs of a

fatalist in the face of questioning these aspects of destiny.

Fatalistic attitudes have a negative effect on ones future. As discussed before, fatalists

simply accept things as they are. They do no action against possible events because they perceive

these events as final and ultimate. Their non-action in these situations get them where they

perceived they would eventually get to. In this case, the actions that we do with our free will do

take an effect to what our future may be. As Buddha has said, If you do not change direction, you

may end up where you are heading."

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3. Conclusion

Destiny and free will go hand-in-hand. Our destinies do not determine us, but we are the

ones who determine our destinies. Our destinies are indeed already set. The actions which we

choose to do in the present are factors which will eventually be the cause for what our future has

in store for us. Yes, God already has our futures, our destinies memorized and known for he is

omnipotent, but these destinies he has for us are the results of our actions today. We are one of the

factors which affect our own futures. There still may be instances or factors which we cannot

control, such as accidents, the tendencies of our soul (otherwise known as karma), family

environment, social climate, and the influences of other people. However, these other factors do

not negate that we are capable of taking action which can still affect our futures. We, as creations

of God who he has granted free will to, are capable of using this free will to influence our destiny,

while also taking in the effects of the other factors. By acknowledging how our free will is in

regards to our destiny, we eventually come to terms that our actions do in fact effect our destinies.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aristotle, Categories and De Interpretatione, J. H. Ackrill (trans.), Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.

Dictionary : Destiny | Catholic Culture. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.catholicculture.org/

culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=33050

Cruz, O. (2015). Antoinette Jadaone and the romantic road to that thing called tadhana.

Retrieved from http://www.rappler.com/entertainment/movies/83233-that-thing-called-

tadhana-antoinette-jadaone

Definbaugh, R. (2004). 2. Gods perfect plan. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/2-god-

s-perfect-plan

Green, A. (2012). Manifesting your destiny with your soulmate. Retrieved July 17, 2017 from

https://www.keen.com/articles/love/manifest-destiny-with-soulmate

Raphals, L. (2003). Philosophy east and west (Volume 53 ed.). University of Hawai'i Press. pp.

537574.

Ribeiro, A. (2013). Is my life predetermined by God toward a specific destiny? Retrieved from

https://aleteia.org/2013/01/20/is-my-life-predetermined-by-god-toward-a-specific-

destiny/

Rice, H. (2015). "Fatalism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2015 Edition),

Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =

<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2015/entries/fatalism/>.

Serendipity dictionary definition : vocabulary.com. (2017). Retrieved from

www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/serendipity
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Spirkin, A. (1983). Dialectical materialism. Progress Publishers. Chapter 5.

Thakkar, A. (n.d.). What is destiny and how to overcome it. Retrieved from

http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-problems/karma/what-is-destiny/

That thing called tadhana. (2015). Retrieved July 16, 2017, from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Thing_Called_Tadhana

Wachob, J. (2016). The 3 types of soul mates. Retrieved from https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-

24063/the-3-types-of-soul-mates.html

Warren, R. (2014). God planned your destiny long before your birth. Retrieved from

http://pastorrick.com/devotional/english/god-planned-your-destiny-long-before-your-S

birth