Amor Fati

A little Latin phrase with the meaning of “love your fate.”

It appears simple, as long as fate or fortune is in our desire or favor, I suppose. This phrase is mostly attributed to Friedrich Nietzche, although the idea of “embracing your fate” is put forth in many other ancient writings including Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.

Embracing our fate becomes a challenge when we choose not to accept the reality of life as it is at the time. Grief, the loss of a loved one, financial distress, illness, the breakdown of relationships, unfavorable job conditions – the list can go on and on. It’s not that any of these examples are trivial or that they should be ignored, but rather, they should be dealt with in a manner of acceptance of the things that can’t be changed along with the reality of the things that can be changed using the faculty of reason that has been given each of us. “Everything happens for a reason” is something we have all heard. Okay, maybe so. Sometimes the reason is just because of a dumb ass decision I have made that caused me, or others, pain and suffering. On the flip side of that thought is that if, in fact, the seemingly negative events are of no fault of my own but only the “fate” of events outside of my control, My responsibility in the art of living is to see what good can come of it. The people I have known with illness or disease that is serious in nature have expressed to me the transitory nature of caring and emotions during those times. Most often for the good.

The wife of a good friend of mine, Brett, who was in his last days, called to ask me if I would come to the hospital, as he had asked if I would come up and sing praise and worship songs with him. “Praise and worship at a time like this?” I thought, but of course, to the hospital I headed. After arriving and singing a bit, Brett told me that he felt as close to his Creator God as he had ever felt in his life. He expressed the sentiments that he would never wish his illness on anyone, but he was not bitter at all and grateful for the time, and the life, he had experienced on this earth. For most of us, we would think that a life cut short at 56 was just that. Cut short. If Brett felt that way, he never conveyed it, only gratitude of the assurance of heaven through Christ and a deep love for his friends and family.

This philosophy comes pretty easy for me at this stage in my life as, at this time, there are no real storms brewing that I know about. There could be some that I am not aware of, looming over the horizon somewhere, that are just not visible yet. Knowing what could occur in the future should not cause worry at all, just mental preparation to deal with what comes my way. Being aware that any moment may be my last encounter or experience with a friend or loved one should make me embrace each moment and try my best to be kind and loving in all situations. I am definitely not able to accomplish this at all times, but it is an aspiration of mine to do my best. Using the faculties of reason, and the awareness of another one of my favorite thought phrases, “memento mori,” I can choose to remain in the moment and embrace my fate knowing that physical death plays a perfect game in this world, one to one.

Ecclesiastes 7:2:

It is better to go to a house of mourning

Than to go to a house of feasting,

Because that is the end of every man,

And the living takes it to heart.

"Philosophy does not claim to get a person any external possessions. To do so would be beyond its field. As wood is to the carpenter, bronze to the sculptor, so our lives are the proper material in the art of living.” ~ Epictetus

The art of living – Let’s get on with it!