Laugh in the Face of Fate
Every prophesy that comes true is self-fulfilling.
You may know of Oedipus, the king of Thebes and the subject of a great Greek tragedy: Sophocles's "Oedipus the King." This story has been told for millennia, yet there's a lesson in it that remains overlooked. By avoiding the mistake Oedipus makes, we can learn how to face the future.
Punished by Prophesy
Oedipus's father, King Laius, receives a prophesy from the Oracle at Delphi that his first-born son would kill him and wed his wife. When Oedipus is born, his mother, Queen Jocasta, binds the feet of her newborn boy (like any reasonable person trying to prevent a prophesy) and sends him with a servant to be abandoned in a distant pasture. Yes, in 429 BC, a baby suspected of future patricide was as good as a rabid dog. In 2013, I buried my African Dwarf Frogs, Bill and Ted, in the backyard.
Yet Oedipus lives. A shepherd finds him and takes pity. He gives Oedipus to King Polybus and Queen Periboea of Corinth, who had been unable to have a child of their own. Oedipus lives in Corinth until his adult years and believes Polybus and Periboea to be his parents by blood. One day, Oedipus visits the Oracle, and he hears the same prophesy: Oedipus is fated to kill his father and wed his mother.
Terrified of his fate, Oedipus tries to prevent it. He flees Corinth toward Thebes, vowing to never see his parents again. On his way, Oedipus has a conflict with an old man and kills him, along with the men guarding his carriage. When Oedipus arrives in Thebes, the people are mourning the death of King Laius. Oedipus is welcomed in Thebes and, for his wit and strength, soon revered. He wins over the people and becomes king, taking the widowed queen as his wife. Thebes prospers under Oedipus's rule, and he and the queen have four kids.
Then tragedy strikes; Sophocles's bubble of dramatic irony pops. The old man that Oedipus killed is his father, King Laius. And Oedipus's wife and the mother of their four children is Queen Jocasta, his mother.
When Jocasta learns this terrible truth, she hangs herself in her chambers. And when Oedipus finds her there, he rips the broaches off her gown and gouges out his eyes, crying,
You will no longer see all those atrocious things I suffered, the dreadful things I did! No. You have seen those you never should have looked upon, and those I wished to know you did not see. So now and for all future time will be dark!
Unlike Oedipus
Some consider this the moral of the story: No matter what you do, you can't avoid your fate. But that's not it. The real lesson is: You guarantee your fate by believing it.
It was the certainty of Jocasta and Oedipus that cemented the prophesy. If Laius and Jocasta had kept their son, Oedipus would never had been mistaken about who his parents were. And if Oedipus had trusted himself to never kill his father or wed his mother, he wouldn't have fled Corinth.
The more you believe in a future, the more likely it is to happen. Every prophesy that comes true is self-fulfilling.
There is no Oracle; there are no certain fates. And that's a good thing. Anything is possible, and nothing is certain. We create the future anew every day, either by submitting to some certain fate or by embracing uncertainty.
Springboard:
What is something you're certain will happen? Is it that you will embarrass yourself? Miss a deadline? Disappoint your partner? How would your fate change if you laughed in its face?