Amor Fati
Father to son — a short letter
Amor Fati is a Latin expression associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher. The phrase means ‘love of one’s fate.’ It means you accept the good and bad in life, without any regrets!
At first take you may completely disagree with this statement and may think only a fool would accept the bad in life. Read on my spirited little twelve-year old…
You and I have survived life’s turbulent waters several times. We have experienced pain and suffering in more ways than we would like to think about. You are far beyond your years as a result. But I ask you to accept fate only because if you can figure out a way to get past the dark times and sometimes the unfairness of life, then you come out far stronger on the other end. The philosophy of Amor Fati will help you through these turbulent seas and onto safer shores.
When life pushes you down, and it surely will, again and again, living in resentment and anger is a natural instinct. These emotions may harm your future further, which is why I ask you to be conscious of how to fight through these negative emotions. Fate doesn’t have ears so complaining about it to yourself or others doesn’t get you very far. Frankly, most people are not interested in witnessing venting sessions — they have plenty to worry about in their own lives — and yes, every single person you know is going through their own storms despite what their social media account reflects.
In life, you only command your character. What is asked of you is not miracles in time travel to fix history, but gradual, intentional action away from current chaos and toward order at some point in the future. Therefore, Amor Fati’s acceptance of the good and the bad helps you avoid getting stuck in the past and lets you stay focused on the future, which you can only influence in the present with the only tool you can use, your character.
Instead of being scared to make mistakes, think about how to turn every error into an extremely valuable lesson from your favorite teacher! Let these lessons change you for the better. Don’t resist or you may run the risk of getting broken like a biscuit! And with each lesson you will grow stronger and wiser, which is why you should respect and embrace all that has happened in the past, hence Amor Fati.
Lastly, don’t confuse ‘love of fate’ with throwing in the towel. Just because something bad may happen to you, doesn’t mean you shrug your shoulders and shrink into a corner. You fight back and let fate know you are someone of consequence (will discuss ego another time). Fate may be winning this round, but you will not go away quietly. You will bounce back stronger and wiser and be an even more formidable opponent next time. You evaluate what you did wrong, what you could have done differently or better, what you learned about yourself or others, and most of all take responsibility for your actions. If something is unfair, call it like it is, push back with everything you got but then after establishing your position, also stand up and accept it because only accepting allows you to move forward to a better place of your choosing, hopefully.
Fate is impressed by one’s character, the one thing you actually control. Still, no guarantees that she will smile on you forever. For your part, show her you welcome it all regardless of how she may treat you. Have faith in your Creator, yourself, your purpose and the mashing of all that has gotten you to this point.
Be a person of courage and become the fire that turns everything thrown in it as its fuel.
These letters are my initial thoughts on various topics I find important for my son and the younger generation.