Can you control circumstances?

Most people believe that you cannot control your circumstances.
If that’s true then we have no control over our lives which makes us all fatalists.

I agree that there are certain things in your life that you have no control over for example:

    • your parents
    • your gender
    • ethnic group
    • mental or physical handicaps
    • your government

If you were born white, it’s very hard to change your skin colour to black or vice versa.
You can try but it’ll take a lot of money and pain to achieve some form of success.
A classic case comes to mind is that of Michael Jackson.

You can have your gender changed but the above conditions apply.
You can change your government through elections but the voters will decide which party rules or that is what you are led to believe.

For the rest, it depends on what you do with your circumstances.
You can change whether you live in poverty, have a poor education or restricted religious views but it’s a mindset that you’re fighting against.

The prevailing views of society are reflected in the government that the people elected.
The people of the country mandated their elected leaders to lead the country.
They in turn took what was accepted by their predecessors and either enhanced those views or rejected them.

Governments are supposed to provide the basics that society requires like health, protection, education, services etc.
If the dominant view of society changes, it’s put before parliament or the senate.
The elected members then vote according to their beliefs.
If the majority vote is in favour then it becomes an act or made into law.

Society has always had leaders and followers.
The problem is to distinguish between a good leader and a poor one.
If a person is elected to fill a post, that person cannot be separated from their background or what they believe.

If you live in a dictatorship then the country will be dominated by the person’s background, ethnic group or belief.

Most of this is common sense but we have to peel the skin away to see the fruit inside.

Take a look at South Africa during the lives of Jake and Mary.
The government was made up of predominantly white Afrikaaners who had a strong religious background.
Their roots stemmed from the Dutch settlers who in turn were influenced by their home country.

The country’s laws were based on Roman-Dutch law.
Marriage was considered sacred, man the head of the home and proven adultery the only grounds for divorce.

A woman who had a child out of marriage was classed as a whore or prostitute.
Jake and Mary knew the underlying beliefs of their society and the risks but they made a choice.

The dialogue between Duke and Genie makes one think that it’s a matter of controlled circumstances by unseen parties.
The circumstances in Jake and Mary’s lives were a result of their choices.
Nobody forced them to make that decision.

We create our own circumstances through the choices we make.
Choices are decisions that are made according to the information we have, what we believe and our conscience.
That is something to think about until my next post.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
William Jennings Bryan

Updated: May 2022

12 thoughts on “Can you control circumstances?”

  1. Thanks for the post will await the next one to comment. I am dealing with issues in my own sons life regarding choices and his future. He likes to blame other circumstances that are out of his control for his state. Instead of making choices to change his position in life for the future. In fact he seems to think that not making any choice is the safest bet Problem is then ‘circumstance’ will make the choice for you, which normally is not good news. Funny how life throws people with their points of view regarding the thing that you are wrestling with accross your path…

  2. A very controversial subject,yet questions we all ask at some point in our lives.Keep on writing Andre,im looking forward to more of what you have to share.d.

  3. Would there be any point in living at all if we all just succumbed to ‘destiny’? Wherein would the lessons lie in this case? My thinking is that life is a process that we all go through in order to learn the ‘lessons’ (perhaps for a higher cause) – it appears that they are often repeated until we finally DO learn… and then move on to the next one/s. Well this is in my experience anyway…

    And the point is, I think, to make better people of us, more humble, more thoughtful for others, more compassionate – all the good qualities that CAN exist in a human being. It seems SO simple from the outside! – Yet it ‘s SO difficult!

  4. The whole idea of circumstances being to blame for your life’s problems is one of mankind’s traits. It started right in the beginning with Adam blaming Eve and she blamed the serpent. It shifts responsibility to something you cannot see thus out of your control. Unfortunately is you do not make a decision or choice then circumstances will make one for you. I have yet to hear someone say that they had good fortune due to circumstances.

  5. Very true Nikki. Destiny is something unknown and for the most part not good. I would love to know who or what is in control of destiny. Life’s lessons are not easy but then why are they so hard? Surely you had subjects at school that you enjoyed? If so then I would think some of life’s lessons would be enjoyable. Pity that we fail so many times but those that pass do seem to be a cut above the rest.

  6. Hi Denise. Plenty of controversy in the world today with so many unanswered questions. I often wonder why governments classify so much information. Could it be that they do not want a revolt on their hands for the way they have handled things? Are they really doing it for the publics benefit or so that they can cover their butts? Perhaps they are the ones creating circumstances?

  7. Definately something to think about – of course our own perception has a huge impact on choices we make. What I perceive as wrong or wright may not be my husbands wrong or right – brings a bit of conflict in a relationship.

  8. Yvonne you have hit the nail on the head with that word perceptions. It is what we believe or perceive to be right or wrong that affects our choices and creates other circumstances.

  9. a bit of a curve ball if i may
    circumstances are created
    either by weather,health,luck (financial and survival),politics,situations,etc
    fatalistic?
    either way we are not ALWAYS in control of circumstances
    so circumstances CAN control and direct our lives
    it is how we deal with the circumstances that are important
    if we say
    bad circumstances i have no chance
    this is not a positive reaction
    if we say
    i control the circumstance AFTER the event (ie the negative /positive circumstance)
    now we start gaining control of a situation that circumstance put there
    fatalism is realism and although faith is good the fact remains
    circumstances have a direct influence on our lives and it is more often than not
    OUT OF OUR HANDS

  10. Thanks Pieter, you always add depth to any discussion. Agree with what you say about after the event as it is normally then that we ask the questions why. I reckon the important part is to learn from the situation and see what you might be able to do to prevent a re occurrence, unless you enjoyed the outcome in the first place.

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