Is it written?

I have always been fascinated by the idea of fate. The belief that an inanimate controlling force is at work somewhere, tipping the scales and rocking the boat.

I guess this belief would denounce the existence of a God, however I have an incling that both beings of power may be out there co-existing. Once fate comes into play the idea of free will is also knocked out of the equation. Some believe that fate is in charge of a master plan laid out for us the minute we are born which leads to our destiny upon our death. I however see fate more as a guideline, it provides us with signs, clues along the way of life which, if we choose to see them can point to a path. How do we know if it is the correct one? We don't.

Similar to religion, belief in fate requires a certain about of blind faith. The cynics would say that signs and themes are created by us in a poor attempt to over-analyse every situation to make it fit a pattern. We are conditioned as humans to stick to the positive and disregard the negative as much as possible. However, when we are surrounded by negativity, bad luck and clouds with what can only be described as a pencil lining, we start to wonder if we are missing the bigger picture. Has fate intervened? Is someone trying to tell us something? Are we on the brink of a sudden self-discovery? Or have we made a fatal error and this is our punishment? As much for self-preservation than anything else, those more spiritually minded tend to use fate as an answer when they can find no other. I place myself firmly in this category.

I do not automatically believe that the cause of everything is fate induced. I think that there can be re-curring themes in every day life that highlight things we need to be aware of in some way. Examples of these would be co-incidence, irony, hindsight and of course intuition. When these things occur they are often annoyances and are only remembered with bitterness. However, when explored they can normally shed some decent light on the situation at hand and often show an opposite viewpoint or final outcome that wasn't available before. Most films of the romantic nature will contain some message or theme that fate and destiny do exist and play a part in our lives.

A good example of this is the spectacular Slumdog Millionaire, which in its opening credits poses a question for the audience with possible answers, one of which reads, 'It is written.' The premise of the film rests on the belief that human strength, understanding or intimidation cannot be a match for fate and sometimes there is no reason why or how, it just has to be accepted. Serendipity and Fools Rush In are boths classic film examples depicting this idea. Aside from their sickening but magical storylines which fit perfectly in the romantic comedy genre, they aim to show how signs are everywhere, and everyone loses their way from time to time and need some guidance.

Apart from guidance, what we all search for on a daily basis is answers. We constantly have to decide if we are making the right decisions. We require proof, compliments, acknowledgement that we are on the correct path. Fate can give us this assurance, and provide some answers, but not all of them. Still this realisation is usually only evident after hindsight when a coincidence becomes obvious in an ironic display of intuition! It may be written but it is not always fun to read!

Go with you your gut...Food for thought.

Ohhhh...there it goes again. That swirling, twirling, churning brief sensation that exists in the pit of your stomach when you feel something is just not quite right.

Most of us are so in tune with this feeling that if practiced we become accustomed to ignoring it. Theories about intuition have been linked to psychic ability and have now been branded with a new-age controversy. Some believe intuition acts as an involuntary sixth sense, while others might disguise a gut feeling as a hunger pang or stomach ache for fear they are entertaining a ridiculous notion. These people are refusing to see the deeper meaning that this sensation is usually pointing to. By definition,'a gut feeling arises when your brain makes an instant connection between what's happening in the present and a similar circumstance from your past.' I believe this to be a subconscious act and we therefore cannot be sure what these past memories are exactly, we just respond intuitively to a feeling that displays a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty.

The real problem comes when we experience this feeling but purposefully decide to disregard it, believing that we know better. Big mistake. More often than not, hindsight comes into play and we realise just how insightful our digestive system is. However, even the endurance of realisation is not enough to prevent us from repeating the same mistake again and again. We are so full of self-doubt that we cannot possibly believe that our body might be trying to tell us something. In fact sometimes it can be the opposite, we do understand what the sensation is telling us but feel guilty for the decision it could lead us to, and so feel it is better to go for the easier option and deal with the consequences afterwards. Again usually a big mistake. As with most things in life, the proof is in the pudding. Therefore only when we have refused our gut's perceptive tendencies and received some either ironic or plain annoying retrospection, do we feel truly sorry for doubting it's true ability.

I like to think of intuition in the same grey area as coincidence. They are both concepts human beings cannot understand completely and so we are then afraid of them. When a repeated coincidence occurs we search for a meaning, a reason why something that previously has not entered our minds, is now suddenly appearing everywhere. For example, I managed to live twenty years of my life not knowing about the existence of the 1980s Olivia Newton John musical classic that is Xanadu. However, this year I learnt a medley from the show for a showcase and now cannot escape the dulcet tones of the main number. It has been on three different radio stations, featured in TV programmes and adverts! Do not fear I am not now convinced that the themes in Xanadu are now a metaphor for my life or anything,(even though I do remember being a muse in a past life!..hmmm)

I guess in life we have become comfortable with over-analysing, dissecting and calculating every possible outcome, reason, motive, idea that may be the cause of an involuntary response such as a gut instinct. The more spiritually minded individuals might delve deep into the meanings of certain coincidences, or seemingly fate fuelled occurrences. One quote about intuition describes it as 'going your way without inquiring about the way'. I think this demonstrates how cynical we have become in that however real the feeling is, we cannot trust it to be true.

I have recently asked myself many times why I have not gone with my gut...this is usually because I have gone with my heart instead.