William
Ernest Henley wrote the poem "Invictus" when saddled with personal
difficulties. Nelson Mandela read the poem when imprisoned. I ask you today to read
the excerpt I have selected from the poem and share your beliefs with a
comment. Thank you in advance.
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of
my soul.” - “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Do you control your fate and are you the leader of your soul?
Do you control your fate and are you the leader of your soul?
Hello Peaches,
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to you. I think that fate is sometimes difficult to control, as there are things that can happen that are, at times, beyond our control. I try to keep a positive attitude and look for the beauty, as well as "live in the moment." So I suppose that I do control my fate. I think that it isn't what happens to us, but how we see and respond to the people and things in our lives.
Happy Easter to you, too, Linda. I like this line, "I try to keep a positive attitude and look for the beauty, as well as "live in the moment." So I suppose that I do control my fate."
DeleteHi, Peaches! I was delighted to find a comment from you on my blog today. Thank you! I also appreciate what you are doing here with your blog. I believe that we can and should take control of our lives and be the master of our fate and the captain of our soul. If we drift along and let life happen to us we are like the captain of a ship who falls asleep and runs the vessel onto a reef or a driver who runs his vehicle off the road into a ditch. I believe we should stay awake, stay alert, remain vigilant, respond resourcefully to life's challenges and get back up if we are knocked down. "It's not what happens to you... it's what you do about it that makes all the difference." "The game isn't over until you say it's over."
ReplyDeleteThank you again for visiting Shady Dell Music & Memories, dear Peaches. Please come back and see me again soon.
Your comment could be a blog post here (mycompliment). Very thoughtful answer and I agree with you 100%.
DeleteThat's what I said when Shady commented on my blog for the first time.
DeleteLife constantly reminds me I'm not in control. I'm beginning to think when I feel I'm in control, it's an illusion. Sometimes not being so controlled is OK. I think so. :) Untethered Realms
ReplyDeleteI do wonder about how much we can control what happens to us.
DeleteI don't really think I am in full control of my fate although I do try to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Peaches.
Yes, I think we can control our actions and reactions, but our fate????..
DeleteWe have some control but sometimes crap likes to happen and when it does it can leave us buried in a mountain of it
ReplyDeleteIt's the crap that throws us off our balance
DeleteI wish I had some control. I can't even get my hair to go the way I want it.
ReplyDeleteLOL.Glad your response made me laugh.
DeleteWe only have so much control, the rest is fate. I know we all have difficult periods in our lives across the board. But yes, some people sure do seem to get battered worse than others. Now I want to know what the story is. Gwen Gardner.
ReplyDeleteYes, what about those who just seem to have trials after trials...
DeleteI try for some control and my navigation skills get better as I get older.
ReplyDeleteAge and wisdom help somewhat
DeleteI often wonder why bad things happen to good people.
ReplyDeleteHow those people handle those bad things is testimony to their strength.
My faith had helped me greatly with some things that have not been rather difficult ...
I feel each day is a blessing and that I am the master of my fate ...
I understand what you wrote. Happy that your faith helps.
DeleteShould have read ...* have been rather difficult*
ReplyDeleteNot * not been rather difficult*
Got it.
DeleteI bought the story of the lady from Rwanda you featured on your blog. Stories like that remind that I have lived a blessed life. So many people deal with things that are true tragedies that anything I have been through is nothing. I got my first taste of this as a social worker. I met kids who had no reason to smile, yet they did. I don't know why bad things happen to good people. I suppose the best steel is forged by fire.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, each time we think we are confronted with a difficult situation, we must be reminded that others face horrible things. I love your last sentence and I will steal it from you (lol).
DeleteMorning Peaches, I think the reply to your question is just on the excerpt you selected. I always think we only have the power to control out actions and fate, make things happen or not, is in our power to live the life we want and say goodbye to things make us upset. People sometimes forget about this and in the hard times unfortunately are so upset that they do not see other ways, I know well this feeling. Happy Easter my dear, hope you have a wonderful and peaceful time! Hugs xo
ReplyDeletethe hard times make us question things.
DeleteI'm a firm believer in this idea. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can control how we deal with them.
ReplyDeleteYes, Donna. I agree.
DeleteI'd like an answer to that question since I've always lived only through hardships, from wars, bombings, poverty, hunger to many health and family issues... some people get more trouble than others .. I was once told it is given to those who are strong enough to take it
ReplyDeleteThat's a hard one to take. Hardships can test us and weaken us, too. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteI'm glad to know it helped Mandela. Inspiration and encouragement are important in everyone's lives. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess some people have to hold to that belief when they are faced with difficulties.
DeleteI think control over anything outside ourselves is an illusion, and even that is sketchy as I could go to my mail box right now and get hit by a car. Would that then be considered my fate? Did I/do I have control? The only thing I think I have control over/can master, is my reaction/my emotions to what happens in my life. There is much I cannot change, but I can change my attitude towards those things. I can chose to happy, sad, loving, angry etc... Making choices to be positive and non-judgmental may not be easy, but it is, for me, the path to consciousness, to self-awareness, and ultimately to compassion.
ReplyDeleteWow, Bish. You're right. We do have control over our emotions or reactions.
DeleteHi Peaches! Now that I'm back from vacation, I'm catching up on visiting my blogging friends' posts. You bring up a point that I think about every day: Why do some people have it so much harder than others? That is immediately followed by: Why am I so fortunate; everyone else is just as deserving. We all go through struggles, but some people experience such heartache and difficulties. I think people are the masters of their fates and the captains of their souls ~ up to a point. There are always going to be random things like hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, plane crashes, etc ~ things that are out of your control. The master/captain parts come in when it comes to what you choose to do in reaction to things out of your control. One thing I know for sure, you can lay down and die, or get up and keep walking you way through whatever is happening. Also there are decisions that you make throughout your life, and there are consequences, so some unfortunate things that happen to you are the result of making a poor choice ~ like choosing to do drugs or driving your car way too fast and getting in a devastation accident. I know I am very grateful for the blessings that I have received, and I do not take them for granted! Happy Easter!
ReplyDelete"The master/captain parts come in when it comes to what you choose to do in reaction to things out of your control." I'm so in agreement with you.
DeleteWe can't stop some things from happening to us, but we can control how our soul grows and how we develop as people based on how we handle them. That's what the excerpt is saying to me.
ReplyDeleteI love what you said. "...we can control how our soul grows and how we develop as people based on how we handle them."
DeleteI believe that God is in control and my responsibility is to work with Him as he guides and directs my life.
ReplyDeleteYes, Joy. We need direction to control our actions.
DeleteI believe that we all have free will. We have control of the choices we make. We ultimately decide the direction of our life. At the end of the day I decide what happens to my life. The life I am given it's for me to live. The choices I make at every crossroads of my life will determine my outcome. If we make God the Master of our fate and the Captain of our Soul then God will assist to influence and direct the choices we make but the choices is always ours to make...
ReplyDeleteI do believe in free will and the choices we make - those are things we can control.
DeleteSome thing we can control, some we can't. Those things we can control though, we need to. I also agree with Joy - God is in charge of my life and my soul.
ReplyDeleteYes, God is in control of our souls.
DeleteGreat food for thought! We have free will to make choices in life, but I agree that for Christians, God is in ultimate control. Some things happen that we don't understand...often we find out later there was a purpose to our trials, but other times we NEVER know until we reach eternity.
ReplyDelete