Our Fate

Fate is something that people in old stories say they are bound to and could never escape, but what exactly is fate? For those who believe, fate is the growth of events far beyond an individual’s control. I think fate is something that nobody can change; it’s inevitable. On the other hand, I would say that fate can be something we can influence. In older tales like that of Beowulf, they believed that fate would be presented in small things like a noble warrior coming to save a land of people from a monster or omens portraying either that dangerous or harmless adventure, even the unfortunate death of a valiant warrior during battle. Fate shows itself differently, but it all leads to everyone's inescapable death.

Fate is a force of nature that neither you nor anyone else can control; it’s already predetermined what your life will be like; it’s almost like a story; it’s already written; you just have to read it. In some instances, you can change your fate, but ever so slightly. For example, there’s a movie series that explores what happens when a group of people avoid their initial cause of death, and it goes on to explain that death is inevitable and that it is always after you. Fate is something that every person is bound to, which keeps humans. Imagine being able to change how your life may look at a drop of a dime; you may make it easier for yourself to go through it, making it ever so dull.

The poem of Beowulf says that Grendel terrorizes the Danes' land for 12 winters. At first glance, you may wonder why these people let Grendel do this to them for so long; from a reader’s perspective, they may think what happened was to happen for as long as it did. They had to suffer for 12 years until a man was strong and brave enough to try and fight the monster. During these 12 winters of terror, some citizens of the Danes' land moved away, fearing for their lives.

During the final pages of Beowulf, we find out that he has aged into an old man who is the king of the Geats. It turns out that a dragon is hiding in a tower, protecting treasures and gold from anyone and everyone. One day, he and some younger men handpicked heads to the tower where the dragon dwells and tried to defeat it. This is the part in which we come to realize that all good things and/or people must come to an end. The men Beowulf brought with him run for their own lives except for one. After more fighting, the great warrior known as Beowulf falls, only to never return. This part of fate is meant for everyone to experience; it may be at a different time for every individual, but everyone goes through it.

Fate metaphorically is the story that everyone must read through, and you won’t know what happens next until you get there for yourself. Everyone is bound to their destinies. Things can be changed slightly, as in the example provided earlier. In the story of Beowulf, the Danes' fate was to suffer through 12 winters with a monster to terrorize them before a great warrior would come to save them. Even in the end, Beowulf is fated to defeat the dragon but loses his life doing so. From the strongest of men to the weakest of children, they all walk their fated paths; where it takes them, nobody knows except for the one who created the path for that person to walk.