Today's MOSTLY TRUE SHORT STORY: Death on the Thruway

F LoBuono

The concept of FATE has been with us since man first pondered his place in world at the very beginning of time. In can be defined as that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny*. I suppose it has vexed us for so long because it can be seen from so many different points of view:

- WE control SOME of our destiny, but only to a point. 
- We have NO control of our future on any level or at any time.
- Unseen, spiritual forces have the ultimate control over our lives and we give control to them.

I suppose that I use the word most often when I observe a series of circumstances that can't be explained in any other way except to attribute them to FATE. Perhaps, this is some type of coping mechanism; when things are beyond our understanding, we attribute them to this unseen force, i.e. FATE.

Often, FATE involves a confluence of factors, each separate until they come together to produce a single result. Sometimes, the consequences produce spectacularly positive results like fame and fortune and, at other times, devastating repercussions.

And, FATE is in play in our lives everyday and in every way. Here's an example:

I was driving on the New York State Thruway the other day and was approaching an overpass. I noticed a pigeon above that was beginning its decent to its perch somewhere under that overpass. Just as it reached the edge, a huge tractor trailer arrived at EXACTLY the same time. The timing for that bird could not have been worse - as it clipped the top of the trailer it exploded into a jumble of white and grey feathers, and blood. In other words, it was instantly obliterated.

Of course, I experienced a moment of shock at what I had just witnessed. It was all so sudden, violent and, yes, tragic. I know it was just a pigeon, a flying rat as some New Yorkers would call it. But, to me, it was still a living thing that was wasted. Perhaps, it was even flying to some kind of nest to feed its young ones. Now, their future was inexorably linked to that of the parent, proving that nothing happens in a vacuum. In other words, their fate was also sealed in the blink of on an eye. They would perish without even knowing why they had been abandoned.

It left me thinking about the power of FATE, how, in a fraction of a second our lives can change. And, how often we are left looking for a reason "WHY". It is at these times we can only trust in FATE, that what has happened to us was simply meant to be. The answers to those questions are beyond our capacity to fathom them. We must simply accept what has happened and resign ourselves to our FATE, trusting that it was all meant to be. Perhaps, this is a cop-out. As humans we seem to need a reason for everything - all cause and effect. Well, sometimes, things just ARE and we need to just leave it at that . . .

* Dictionary.com