They said, it is going to be better tomorrow,
“Will it?” I questioned as I clenched onto broken pieces,
My heart would heal with time, they reassured,
“Will it?” I asked doubting the power of this medicine,
All things happen for good, the cliché yet again,
“Does it?” I sarcastically smirk at the shallowness,
Rough seas make good sailors, another quote to sound like they care,
“Does it?” I dismiss all that is said,
Spring is not far behind, a stolen poetic hope,
“Is it?” I laugh a little at readymade lines,
This is not the end, unsolicited advice to stay put,
“Maybe it is!” I say as I end a chapter to start something new.
Footnotes:
–Have you ever wondered why the same set of dialogues and quotes repeat whenever you have a problem?
–Do you feel like people around you force you to believe that you’re on the right path even when you are not, making you believe that letting go is the same as quitting?
–Have you heard people glorifying the idea of staying put in a place under the false tag of perseverance?
–Do you think people are living in an illusion bubble where only good things happen?
I have!
And the only thing that rings in my head whenever I hear anything remotely close to this is –Cheerful Fatalism!
“What will be, will be!”–meaning we have no control over our actions, our fate or our future.
For the longest time, I was made to believe that giving up on something is bad unless it is smoking or drinking alcohol. This made me hold on to some toxic relationships. I held on to it because I thought time would heal it, and maybe, the clouds will clear up tomorrow. Severance was made to look bad, hence I held on even when it was rough and bad. I did the same with my career as well.
Although I am not going to elaborate on my situation, the gist of both the cases can be summed up in to one word– disappointment. Let us dive into the Word and look at two relevant examples.
Known as a ‘winsome peacemaker’, her wisdom and prompt actions are commended even today. She could have done the same thing that her husband Nabal did, in the pretext of taking his side or wifely duties. But she did the opposite of what he did to stick up for him and the entire household. Imagine her situation: she must have been advised by housemaids saying things like “it will get better!” “there might be a problem today but tomorrow will be fine”, “persevere, and stick to what your husband does!” I also feel like the gravity of the situation might have been diluted by cheerful fatalism words. However, Abigail put her wisdom to use in this situation instead of just “going with the flow!”
The Aramean commander of the armies had leprosy. He must have received many sympathetic words like, “it’s how life is!” “fate!” “it will get better with time” “this is a test!” But there was only one person who spoke solution instead of sympathy, and it was the servant girl. Now, Naaman could have easily dismissed her words and stuck to the sympathy. He could have held on to his situation instead of freeing himself out of it. Let me rephrase the aforementioned sentence– “…instead of letting himself be freed of his disease!” He made a choice to believe, to put an end to the sympathy cycle.
You can read up further on these two stories but what I want to concentrate on is the idea of choosing instead of calling it fate or, as some say, “it is meant to be that way.” Don’t you think it oversimplifies the issue of God’s divine foreknowledge? As children of God, we are not governed by fate. When Christianity is mixed with fatalism, it becomes theological fatalism–the basic premise: since God knows what is going to happen, it follows that it must happen.
The Bible seems to indicate that God knows everything and that we have choices. What is correct? You may ask –Both.
God’s foreknowledge of things does not force anyone to do anything. Simply put, He knows what you will do. However, there is a choice given to us and this choice is also a test of faith. When we abide in Him and to His will, we consult God for our choices but at the end, we are the ones that put it into action. We don’t remain unresponsive, go with the flow or let time take its course. Faith without work is dead. Also, the biggest danger of fatalism is that we don’t take responsibility of situations.
While cheerful fatalism sounds peachy in books and poetry, it isn’t in full compliance with the Word of God that asks us to put our faith into action. Surely things will get better but only when you do something about it. Whether it is letting go or starting something new, be proactive, in alignment with the Word of God, and ACT.
“What will be, will be when you actively pursue God’s Will and act on it willingly.”