Embrace Positive Fatalism

We usually associate fatalism with a passive, do-nothing attitude toward life. However, the sense in which I mean to use it here is captured in the above quotation. Fatalism in this more positive and active sense is a gut-level belief in an ultimate outcome.

In general, no great and successful life could have been all planned from beginning to end. What does happen is that the man has a burning hunger, a vision, promptings, and intuitions of what is possible and gives himself wholly in pursuit of it. And believes—this is where fatalism comes in—that it will turn out as dreamed, no matter what current circumstances seem to suggest. Without such a fatalist approach, no great achievement is possible.

The odds, at first glance, of good triumphing over evil, enlightenment over ignorance, order over chaos, accommodation and understanding over prejudice, or abundance over extreme and widespread poverty seem laughable at best. The effort required to bring about such a victory seems, on the basis of fact and logic, so titanic that we might just want to be realistic and remain content with more attainable, humdrum pursuits. And those who insist on being vanguards in such impossible struggles appear suicidal to many. But time and again, these Davids trounce their Goliaths very convincingly.

History and contemporary life are replete with examples of such fatalists. Recall Winston Churchill’s unshakable belief in final victory during World War II, or Edison’s confidence that the solution to puzzles in invention would be found, or Mandela’s battle and final victory against the vastly superior forces of apartheid, or Helen Keller’s miraculous rise above personal circumstances that should have deprived her of her very humanity.

To acquire the sort of fatalism we are discussing here, you must believe that the universe is ordered. It doesn’t hurt to accept that some power—God, the universal mind—is in control or has at least loaded the dice of life in favor of good, justice, light, and truth.

It also helps if you align your purposes, thoughts, and actions with eternal verities and principles. That way, you come to believe that your cause is just. This belief gives you the sort of boldness that, in Goethe’s words, “has genius, power and magic in it.”

You must believe that you have a specific purpose for being here and a special contribution to make to advancing life in some way. And your whole life must be dedicated to fulfilling your mission, starting right where you are and with what tools you have.

Whether the effects are wholly psychological, or mystical, or both, they are very real. These gut-level beliefs drive everything you experience (or at least, your interpretation of what you experience), become, and achieve.

Developing the Fatalistic Mind-Set

Observe nature. Perhaps nothing so impresses on your mind the idea of inexorable progress as an observance of nature at work: mostly patient and unyielding, like winds that wear down rocks over the course of long years, and sometimes sudden and cataclysmic, like a volcanic eruption.

Recall the march of history. The universe keeps unfolding and the course of human history with it. The general direction of progress through the ages is toward greater freedom, knowledge, and truth. Accept the same as true for you personally, that the course of your life will unfold as it should.

Develop a rich inner life. Spend time alone to connect with God and with your inner self. That way, you develop a peaceful core that can withstand the vagaries of events. You also develop insights and intuitions about the direction your life should take.

Read the lives of great people. Read about great people, and notice how their personal determination seems to unleash forces that aid them toward the achievement of their dreams.

Effects of a Fatalistic Mind-Set

By developing positive fatalism, you become patient and persistent. You become focused on long-term results and are confident in the inevitability of ultimate success. You also combine an infectious and persuasive optimism with humility that is unfeigned.

** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life”, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/greatways2.html.