Man’s Self-Made Destiny

“There is a bit of Eastern Wisdom which says that:

If you sow a thought you reap an act;
If you sow an act you reap a habit;
If you sow a habit you reap a character;
If you sow a character you reap a destiny.

If we live up to the best that is in us, our character will constantly improve and set us on the road to a bright and fruitful destiny. If we seem to be heading in the wrong direction, this can be changed, but to change it, we must first change our character.

To do this, we must change our habits, our acts and our thoughts, which of course takes time and steady effort.

All that we are is the consequence of what we have thought. It is based on our thoughts. It is all derived from our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a thought of evil, suffering follows him, exactly as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the cart.

All that we are is the consequence of what we have thought. It is based on our thoughts; it is derived from our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an innocent and pure thought, happiness follows him, exactly like a shadow that never leaves him.

"He treated me badly; he struck me; he overcame me; he robbed me" -- in those who cultivate such feelings hate will never cease.

"He treated me badly; he struck me; he overcame me; he robbed me" -- in those who do not cultivate such thoughts, hatred will die.

For hate never is overcome by hate at any time. Hate passes away through love. This is the ancient rule.

Our destiny, then, is ultimately determined by our own thoughts and deeds. We are not "predestined" to anything by anyone else. As we alter our character for better or for worse, so do we ourselves thereby determine our own destiny.”

-“Life’s Riddle” by Nils A. Amneus, Ch. 4 ‘Man’s Complex Nature’