Juho Pohjalainen's Blog: Pankarp - Posts Tagged "explaining-stuff"
Just what IS fate, anyway?
This stuff comes up a fair bit in fantasy of any kind, and occasionally science fiction and other genres. The idea that some things are just meant to happen. That the main character is the Chosen One, destined to defeat evil. That the villain is destined to a horrendous demise. That two particular strangers are fated to meet by a road one day. You get the idea.
But it's a whole lot less common for these works to even try and explain the nature of this fate. Why does it want this guy to kill the bad guy? What does it care about some people having a chance meeting? What are its goals, its motives, and where did it come from? And what does it all mean for the opposing concepts of choice and free will?
Most of the time the whole thing just feels like a story convenience. A way to easily explain out all those little coincidences that get the plot running, without wasting too much time in it. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately and so I thought I'd try and cut it up to see what's inside.
From the way it's usually explained in-universe, it strikes to me as a sort of a cosmic breath or pulse, where all things go the way they're supposed to. Rivers run downhill, moons orbit planets and planets orbit suns, sun shines, birds sing, and a magically-talented little girl survived the destruction of her kingdom to meet with a Witcher in a peasant hut. If these things would not happen, then it would cause discord: little skipping of a beat or two, ragged breath or a cough, the sort. No one necessarily wants any of this stuff to happen, it's just all the things in the cosmos, great and small, going on as they would. You can fight it, but only if you know what you're fated to do: otherwise you'll just end up going exactly into its arms.
The opposite interpretation is that there is a higher power, or many higher powers, actively meddling in the worldly affairs - sometimes getting into scraps with one another - messing with people, empowering their own champions, throwing around curses, and anyone that can't handle it is just going to be swept aside like they were nothing. What's free will, is just what choice there is left after all the greater beings have made their plays. A child should not disobey their parents; a peasant would be unwise to defy his king; and even the greatest hero must tread lightly when challenging the gods. You can make it work - you can succeed, even get out of it with your skin - but most likely you'll pay a heavy price for your foolishness.
I like to employ both. The ones more Lawfully-aligned prefer the former explanation, as it makes them feel like they were a part of some greater whole; the Chaotics subscribe to the latter, for they can then seek a sponsor for their pursuit of power and greatness.
Peal thinks both are a bunch of nonsense. In his own words:
"If the river had the will to move uphill, it could. If Titan fancied to revolve the other way for a change, she might. I've seen the former happen and heard of the latter - and taken part in men revolting against kings, and helped children stand up to their parents, even given a Lord of Chaos the slip.
What you call 'Fate' is nothing more than the easy way out - the path of least resistance. An excuse to justify not making any decisions of your own, and going with the flow, the mob. To hell with that. Stop for a moment. Think it through. Seize control over your own life. Walk ever the thorniest path."
But it's a whole lot less common for these works to even try and explain the nature of this fate. Why does it want this guy to kill the bad guy? What does it care about some people having a chance meeting? What are its goals, its motives, and where did it come from? And what does it all mean for the opposing concepts of choice and free will?
Most of the time the whole thing just feels like a story convenience. A way to easily explain out all those little coincidences that get the plot running, without wasting too much time in it. But I've been thinking about it a lot lately and so I thought I'd try and cut it up to see what's inside.
From the way it's usually explained in-universe, it strikes to me as a sort of a cosmic breath or pulse, where all things go the way they're supposed to. Rivers run downhill, moons orbit planets and planets orbit suns, sun shines, birds sing, and a magically-talented little girl survived the destruction of her kingdom to meet with a Witcher in a peasant hut. If these things would not happen, then it would cause discord: little skipping of a beat or two, ragged breath or a cough, the sort. No one necessarily wants any of this stuff to happen, it's just all the things in the cosmos, great and small, going on as they would. You can fight it, but only if you know what you're fated to do: otherwise you'll just end up going exactly into its arms.
The opposite interpretation is that there is a higher power, or many higher powers, actively meddling in the worldly affairs - sometimes getting into scraps with one another - messing with people, empowering their own champions, throwing around curses, and anyone that can't handle it is just going to be swept aside like they were nothing. What's free will, is just what choice there is left after all the greater beings have made their plays. A child should not disobey their parents; a peasant would be unwise to defy his king; and even the greatest hero must tread lightly when challenging the gods. You can make it work - you can succeed, even get out of it with your skin - but most likely you'll pay a heavy price for your foolishness.
I like to employ both. The ones more Lawfully-aligned prefer the former explanation, as it makes them feel like they were a part of some greater whole; the Chaotics subscribe to the latter, for they can then seek a sponsor for their pursuit of power and greatness.
Peal thinks both are a bunch of nonsense. In his own words:
"If the river had the will to move uphill, it could. If Titan fancied to revolve the other way for a change, she might. I've seen the former happen and heard of the latter - and taken part in men revolting against kings, and helped children stand up to their parents, even given a Lord of Chaos the slip.
What you call 'Fate' is nothing more than the easy way out - the path of least resistance. An excuse to justify not making any decisions of your own, and going with the flow, the mob. To hell with that. Stop for a moment. Think it through. Seize control over your own life. Walk ever the thorniest path."
Pankarp
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