Bit by Bit - Chapter 4, Part 13

Trey Smith

Confucius said, "In the world, there are two great decrees: one is fate and the other is duty." That a son should love his parents is fate -- you cannot erase this from his heart. That a subject should serve his ruler is duty -- there is no place he can go and be without his ruler, no place he can escape to between heaven and earth. These are called the great decrees. Therefore, to serve your parents and be content to follow them anywhere -- this is the perfection of filial piety. To serve your ruler and be content to do anything for him -- this is the peak of loyalty. And to serve your own mind so that sadness or joy do not sway or move it; to understand what you can do nothing about and to be content with it as with fate -- this is the perfection of virtue. As a subject and a son, you are bound to find things you cannot avoid. If you act in accordance with the state of affairs and forget about yourself, then what leisure will you have to love life and hate death? Act in this way and you will be all right.
~ Burton Watson translation ~

Fate. Destiny. Dumb luck.

Whatever you want to call it, it plays a role in every life. While I believe there is a cause-and-effect to everything, when you're too close to a situation or circumstance, you simply can't see it. For the most part, the human mind is too close to our own lives to see the bigger picture. So, from our standpoint, a lot of things that happen in this life appear to be purely random.

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