Karma Vs. Destiny Vs. Fate

kar·ma (kär ma ) n.
1. Hinduism & Buddhism The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.
2. Fate; destiny.
3. Informal A distinctive aura, atmosphere, or feeling: There's bad karma around the house today.

As the human race gets more educated, the world is only getting smaller, and we are more exposed to the diversities of different countries and regions. Most importantly, we are exposed to culture. The cultural diversity allows us as people to understand each other better, and consequently, bridging our differences.

Certain societies, have bridged these differences in such a manner, that they are no longer differences, and have become mere personal preferences to a way of life. The very basic concept of bridging is acceptance, and this is where the success of multicultural societies resides.

Despite all the differences, there are specific patterns, forming unmistakable similarities, in concepts defining a way of life. One of these concepts that comes under many different names is Fate, Destiny, Karma, the Arabic Qadar (or Gods Will), French Destin, etc…
All of the above concepts through the different societies refer to a predetermined end result, that has been decided by some divine power, to some it’s God, others nature, or just called divine intervention.

Nevertheless, even within the realm of the predetermined events, there lay some differences. Fate, also known best by the verse “it has been written”, is a set of events that are going to happen because the divine power has decided so as part of a master plan. This particular plan has a lot of particularities and is not understood, and we as people have to take it for granted that it is just part of a master plan we cannot grasp, imagine, or comprehend, taking into consideration that those who tell us so, do not know it either.
Destiny on the other hand, tries to display a more noble approach where destiny is part of someone’s life that can be changed, but it is best to follow your own destiny, a chain of events that would ensure the completion of a plan that has to do with that one person. The concept of predetermination still exists; there is always some planned event.
Karma in its essence and it goes a lot further in detail, dictates a part of predetermination as in the case of destiny and fate, but links it more to the events during a life time. These events are the culmination of actions that determine this plan, relating more to the cause and effect philosophy of life, but only at face value where it is the total of actions and choices rather than a one-by-one approach. The result is a state of mind and being that is good or bad karma. The result is a more flexible vision.

With all that in mind, as well as our hearts, we have to consider the following facts. We make choices every day that change our life. Starting from choices at childhood and adolescence where we decide what we want to study, whether to study or not, later the choices become more complex, making the choice of career, the choice to marry and settle down, the choice to have children, and many other life changing choices. It is not the choice of which bar of chocolate a person is buying today, as the result is the same in chocolate satisfaction. But consider it as voting for the person who is to be president, and the choice was devastatingly wrong. It was a choice that was made. A person about to commit a crime is faced with the choice of doing it and risking his life as well as that of others, choices that collect as a series of choices that change the course of a person’s life. Take this as a cross road where we have the option of going forward, left, and right with no exact idea where each would lead, but we know that we cannot stay where we are, so we take one, to the best of our knowledge we will take the path that seems to be best lit and has the best scenery. It might be a good choice for the ride, but an ugly dead end. Most probably, we will be ending up at another cross road where we have to make the choice of going left, forward, or right again, after which, there are many more cross roads. The result is that, we are no longer able to know where we are going, but we try to take the best path based on our evaluation. There is no map to life, but there is always experience and education to help us evaluate better, and not mistake the path.

So how does this fall into place with concepts like destiny, fate, karma, or anything that has been predetermined? Which of us knew at the tender age of 10 where we would be at the age of 20, 30, or any age? Who knows what will happen tomorrow. Who can predict the outcome of his choice today, 5 years down the line? The obvious answer is no one, and if anywhere close, there is no certainty or guarantee.

Shakespeare for instance, in his own wisdom, said: Nothing is sure but death and taxes.
This is a person who knew that life is all about the uncertainties, but has succeeded to visualize in a very subtle manner, the only two eventualities he could come up with. To our misfortune, the only thing we know to be a true destiny, fate, karma, eventuality, and certainty, is death. The only thing that is predetermined to every living soul, determined by biological processes, and is an undeniable part of our life cycle.

So in a life that is full of uncertainties, where the pursuit of a better life is always at hand, independence is becoming a more sought after commodity, and choices are becoming more complex, how can anything be predetermined? How can we believe in a destiny, fate, Karma, or any concept that even insinuates that “it has been written”?
Why would this divine intervention or power create a plan that - through choices- one can not only wrong oneself, but many others alongside, from the mere making of one choice?