Last week, I had three incredibly close calls, any of which could’ve ended in a disaster. In retrospect, they feel almost miraculous. The first occurred in an overnight bus from Bengaluru to Kerala. In the wee hours of the morning, a hard thud sent me sliding down the seat. The bus had collided into a lorry, shattering the windshield. Shaken, I decided to return by flight.
On the way to the airport, a stone thrown by miscreants, narrowly missed the windshield, striking the side of the car instead. Had the windshield been struck, I would have missed my flight.
I heaved a sigh of relief when I landed, but the universe wasn’t done with me. On the way back home, the car in front suddenly slammed on its brakes and we missed ramming into it by a whisker. The long line of vehicles behind us also braked in the nick of time. A fraction less alertness from any of the drivers could have caused a massive chain accident.
These near misses left me pondering about destiny. The Japanese have specific terms to describe life’s occurrences—Guzen and Hitsuzen. Guzen refers to random events that seem to happen by chance, while Hitsuzen is a concept where events are pre-ordained, making other outcomes impossible.
Rational thinkers argue that we tend to overemphasise coincidences, focusing on them when they occur while overlooking the countless uneventful moments. For instance, I’ve travelled to the airport hundreds of times without incident, but this time, a string of near misses made me believe it was divine providence.
As humans, we’re naturally inclined to seek patterns. In an unpredictable world, we find comfort in the certainties—like the cycle of day and night or the reliable arrival of summer, autumn, and winter each year, no matter what happens. For thousands of years, several cultures like Greece, Mesopotamia, Rome, Egypt and India have turned to astrology to predict what is to come.
The scientific community largely dismisses astrology, coincidences, and concepts of ‘divine intervention’, due to inadequate empirical evidence. But isn’t it possible that science has yet to advance enough to uncover the deeper mysteries of the universe? After all, a century ago, the idea of landing on the moon would have been ridiculed and Galileo was persecuted for his belief in heliocentrism.
I’m not certain what the absolute truth is, but I know that it’s possible to hold seemingly contradictory views on Guzen and Hitsuzen. I fully believe in destiny, yet I also believe we possess free will. Whether or not astrology accurately predicts what is to come, we are powerless when tragedy strikes. Our sense of control over life is, at best, an illusion. However, we still have the power to choose how we respond. As the Japanese proverb goes: Nanakorobi yaoki—fall down seven times, stand up eight.
Preeti Shenoy
Novelist, Illustrator, Speaker
Instagram: @preeti.shenoy