| Last Sunday at the Quaker meeting in Framingham, I found myself mulling
over the concept of "destiny". The Episcopalian priest John Sanford,
who has been greatly influenced by Jungian psychology, discusses this
concept in his book "The Man Who Wrestled With God". Here is a
pertinent passage:
Destiny and destination are closely related ideas. If we fulfill
out destiny, we have reached our proper destination or end state in
life. The idea of destiny is an example of the teleological
influence that shapes our lives and draws us into a future
development that is known somewhere in the unconscious even though
it is not yet known to consciousness. It is not related, however,
to the idea of pre-destination. Pre-destination implies that God
has foreordained a specific fulfillment for people. Destiny, on
the other hand, may or may not be fulfilled....For whether or not
our destiny is fulfilled will depend on how conscious we become and
how much of our egocentricity is overcome.
This reminds me very much of the concept expressed by process theology
of God as the Divine Lure. This means that God, rather than controlling
our lives, serves to lure us forward and upward--to our "destiny", if
you will. As free human beings we may or may not fulfill our
destinies. The Quaker view of this is that of living up to the
"measure" of the Light Within. That is why I feel that my own life is
a continual struggle of personal and spiritual growth; I know that I am
only dimly aware of my own "destiny", and am not sure to what extent I
will ever be able to fulfill it. I hope that I have a long life ahead
of me, because it will be a long time before I even come close to
approaching my destination.
In addition, I was contemplating last Sunday the ways that living
according to one's destiny might represent living in tune with a Higher
Purpose. In my own case, the spiritual growth that has resulted
recently from this process is an exploration of the ways that immediate
results may be irrelevant from the perspective of a Higher Purpose.
When we live according to a Higher Purpose, we often sow seeds without
realizing it, seeds that plant and bloom long after we see the results.
Seen from this perspective, immediate ends become of decreasing
importance. Doing the right thing becomes its own reward, and its own
incentive. To me, in my own spiritual quest, this means that rewards,
either short or long term, can be, at times, at best irrelevant, and at
worst an obstacle to spiritual growth as I seek out my own dimly
perceived destiny.
-- Mike
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