If it's written in the stars, what happens when they die?

Things are funny sometimes. The world, I mean. "Things in the world" would be the best way to put it, I guess. Such as how everything we believe and perceive is actually made up, or invented, by another like us. Banging together two identical parts of your body (clapping your hands, as people like to call it), for example, is seen as a form of high praise, and not as an act that which doesn't only create an annoying noise, but can, with time, cause tremendous pain to your hands. All the complicated rules to life, the wrong turns, the "proper" way of doing things; all invented by some foolish being. Yes, humans are the smartest of all animals, for a certain gene that gave us "intelligence". Damn that gene!

But if you just think about things sometimes, you'd be surprised. Things not engineered by human action and thought. Things which happen, let's say, by chance. Fate, if you like, chance, if you don't. Let me quote something from somewhere as an example.

"You ever look at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many strangers have pictures of you. How many moments of people's lives have we been in? Were we part of someone's life when their dreams came true? Or were we there when their dreams died? Did we keep trying to get in as if we were somehow destined to be there? Or did the shot take us by surprise? Just think, you could be a big part of someone else's life, and not even know it."

(One Tree Hill, Season 4, Episode 3)

Strange if you actually think about it, right? Makes you want to rush out and grab that old, dusty photo album and sit for hours postulating just what that dumpy man in the red bathing suit was trying to achieve, standing on his head on the side of the pool, doesn't it? Did he reach enlightenment? Or just discover a new way to get rid of a hangover? You'll never know. But, for that instant in time, as you stood shivering in your tiny bathing suit, smiling awkwardly as someone took your photograph, you were part of his life. And you have that moment captured with him, forever. Chance? Or design.

I believe in fate. Well not fully, I believe we all have a choice in whatever we do. Every second of the day. Me typing this out right now is putting me on a different path which eventually (in the next nano-second or so) will lead to another crossroad. And finally the choices we make, will result in us following billions of winding roads passing trillions of signposts which finally lead to our final destination. The end. The golden light.

Now, someone I was discussing this with said that what I believe is completely contradictary. Because if there were so many million choices and so many billion permutations and combinations, how can one say that things are pre-ordained? But then there's another take on the matter. With all the infinite options and roads to go on, what makes us choose that one specific path? Divine intervention? Or just plain human asinine-ness? Hmm...We'll never know the answer to the universe. Well maybe we will. Maybe we'll come to a time when we can confidently state that the answer is 42 (or something to that likeness) but then, we would probably have forgotten the question.

But I digress. Or do I? Hard to say. Sometimes I believe that there are an infinite number of parallel universes, and in each we are making different choices. Ever experienced moments of sheer euphoria and you can't explain why? Or suddenly you're depressed, once again, completely unjustified? That's because for a zepto second you glimpse what a wonderful/terrible time you're having in the other universe. And you want to be there, or it just plain scares you. Maybe I'm just talking a bunch of nonsense. *sigh*

Well whatever it is, maybe out there someone is laughing sadistically (or affectionately) as he (She? It?) watches everything BE exactly the way it was supposed to. So everything happens for a reason. Everything has a purpose. Or maybe the big guy up there is shaking his head in amusement at the utter mess we're making of our lives (what with the global warming and all) and chuckling at the weak attempts we make to try and figure it all out when the answer is dancing right in front of us in an electric green tutu.


"We've rushed and rushed and rushed, and now, it feels like the world has just come to a standstill."

"Maybe the world is still rushing, but we've just come to a standstill; or maybe we've finally come to the right place and there isn't a need to rush anymore."

"Is this the right place?" "Is this where we're meant to be? Right now?"

"I don't really believe in fate, but this is better than where we were before. If we weren't here, where would we be right now?"

"It doesn't matter. We're here."

"Yes, we are."

(Lines from an online fiction called “Eclipse” written by Phoenix song available on www.schnoogle.com )

-Avantika Agarwal