inkbluesky

The concept of fate is at least as old as the Greeks who had three goddesses of fate, The Moirae or Fates ( in Roman mythology they were known as the Parcae). In the original Greek origins Clotho ( spinner of life from her spindle),  Lachesis ( something of an ancient bean counter or “allotter” measuring out the thread and Atropos ( following a certain logic she was the Fate of the “inevitable” or the one that decided on when a life would end). Though their dominion did not stop with the living, determining ones destiny beyond the grave. With such powers little wonder that Zeus, king of the gods was thought to have feared them. Odd that most people believe to some degree in fate, yet the word is not found at all in the King James version of the Bible. fate is mentioned in the New International version of the Christian Bible 12 times. In the movie Serendipity (2001) Sara Thomas(Kate Beckinsale) lets fate be the sole arbiter of whether she ever has a relationship with Jonathan (John Cusack). After some time passes Sara sees that fate doesn’t seem to be working out the way she had imagined – an educated intelligent professional she seems honestly bewildered that her romantic fantasy has not become reality. So as her impending marriage to another man approaches she goes off looking for Jonathan. While in the movie My Sassy Girl (200eight) Jordan Roark (Elisha Cuthbert) shares Sara’s view about Charlie Bellow (Jesse Bradford) almost to the end of the movie. An older man with a greying beard speaks to her under a tree that stands out for its Gothic gnarled appearance. Its an effective scene, but while it doesn’t scream symbolism it is obvious enough. The old man listens to her story and suggests that sometimes fate needs a little push. It was her belief that since she was a day late for an appointment with Charlie fate should have made him equally late. Fate meets modern notions of romance and becomes even more abstract then the days of the Moirae. Short of time travel to check out all the possible outcomes of ones life its difficult to say that what happens was intended in the nature of predetermination or if giving fate a push was the intended fate. Or if we wait for the train, but don’t open our fortune cookie who’s to blame when if we get rain on our new shoes. Or something like that.

chance or fate

Even Cancer Cells Follow The Laws Of Evolution

Scientists from The Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton and the University of California discovered that the underlying process in tumor formation is the same as for life itself—evolution. After analyzing a half million gene mutations, the researchers found that although different gene mutations control different cancer pathways, each pathway was controlled by only one set of gene mutations.

This suggests that a molecular “survival of the fittest” scenario plays out in every living creature as gene mutations strive for ultimate survival through cancerous tumors. This finding, which appears in the August 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal, improves our understanding of how evolution shapes life in all forms, while laying a foundation for new cancer drugs and treatments.

Good news though it has been suspected for some time gene mutations evolved along with genes. It very odd though that someone at either Science Daily, The FASEB Journal or the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology used the term “survival of the fittest” to describe the success of the mutations that cause tumors. Its odd within the context of the article ( not a primary source) and within the context of evolution. The term was coined by  Herbert Spencer, not Darwin and is not an accurate description of evolution and why some organisms survive or how organisms evolve. A single celled bacterium is capable of bringing down an elephant, would we say in our understanding of what constitutes fittest that bacterium are then more fit then elephants. The term didn’t suit the language of evolution in Darwin’s day, its even more antiquated now.