Philosophy of Mozi
Romeo and Juliet, the two young lovers in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, ended up becoming a large part of what could be called “fate”. Fate seemed to control their lives and force them together, becoming a large part of their love, and the ending of their parents hatred. In ancient China, a philosopher, Mozi, rejected fatalism because it is a belief that gives people excuses to doing nothing. He says:
[I]f we were to accept the theories of the fatalists, then those above would not attend to affairs of state and those below would not pursue their tasks. If those above do not attend to affairs of state, then the government will fall into disorder, while if those below do not pursue their tasks, there will not be enough wealth and goods. There will be no way to provide security for the worthy and able men of the world below. There will be no mean to entertain and conduct exchanges with the feudal lords who come as guests from abroad, while within the state there will be no means to feed the hungry, cloths the cold, and care for the aged and weak.
One should not believe that one is determined by one’s fate because this belief does not promote universal benefits for the world.
For most people, when they think fate is at work on their situation, they stop thinking about their own solutions. They will think less, be less alert, and be more trusting. It is what they do, say and act as a result of believing in fate that can cause major disasters in their lives. When one stops thinking, stops acting, stops working the hardest one could towards something, then one is letting the ball drops. As a result, he is not achieving as much as he could, he may lose money, lose job and lose responsibilities. However, he would not care so much because he blames it on fate, not himself.
Everything that happens in human life is a product of what they do to their life and not determined by fate alone. There is a saying goes, “Life is what you make it.” A man truly
[I]f we were to accept the theories of the fatalists, then those above would not attend to affairs of state and those below would not pursue their tasks. If those above do not attend to affairs of state, then the government will fall into disorder, while if those below do not pursue their tasks, there will not be enough wealth and goods. There will be no way to provide security for the worthy and able men of the world below. There will be no mean to entertain and conduct exchanges with the feudal lords who come as guests from abroad, while within the state there will be no means to feed the hungry, cloths the cold, and care for the aged and weak.
One should not believe that one is determined by one’s fate because this belief does not promote universal benefits for the world.
For most people, when they think fate is at work on their situation, they stop thinking about their own solutions. They will think less, be less alert, and be more trusting. It is what they do, say and act as a result of believing in fate that can cause major disasters in their lives. When one stops thinking, stops acting, stops working the hardest one could towards something, then one is letting the ball drops. As a result, he is not achieving as much as he could, he may lose money, lose job and lose responsibilities. However, he would not care so much because he blames it on fate, not himself.
Everything that happens in human life is a product of what they do to their life and not determined by fate alone. There is a saying goes, “Life is what you make it.” A man truly
References: Liu, JeeLoo. (2006). An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy: from ancient philosophy to Chinese Buddhism. United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. HOL B126 L564 2006. Watson, Burton (1963). Mo Tzu Basic Writings. USA: Columbia University Press. HOL B128 M6 W3.