Predetermined Fate

A woman arrives at a crossroads. Will a predetermined fate cause her to take a certain path, or does she have free will to choose a different path? Who is to say? However, based on the nonfiction works The Sports Gene, written by David Epstein, and “Losing Control,” a person’s fate is the result of choices that that person or people nearby the person have made. In “Losing Control,” it is said that prior research or preparation affects one’s fate. David Epstein said in The Sports Gene that people have the ability to direct their fate if they have enough determination. Both these works provide sufficient evidence to support the claim that humans have total control over their fates. In “Losing Control,” two teams raced to reach the South Pole
He started high jumping when one of his track teammates “bet him that he could not clear 6’6” in a high jump competition.” Thomas easily cleared that height, and he even reached seven feet. Later on, Thomas became better and better at high jumping and eventually went into the World Championships, which are the “Super Bowl of track and field.” Thomas was against the pros there. One such pro was Stefan Holm, who was the “[reigning Olympic champion]” and “the favorite” of the competition. Epstein wrote, “While the rest of the jumpers took such lengthy approaches that they had to start on the running track, Thomas began on the infield, as if he were using the high jump equivalent of the short tees at a golf course.” This shows readers that Thomas is indeed a rookie. Epstein then wrote, “[Thomas] arrived at 7’8.5” along with a handful of other jumpers, including Holm.” This shows readers that although Thomas is new to the sport, he can keep up with the experienced athletes. This means that a good gene is just as good as years of practice. After the competition, Thomas’s and Holm’s physicalities and abilities were analyzed by Masaki Ishikawa, who was “a scientist at the Neuromuscular Research Center at the University of Jyvåskylå in Finland.” Thomas had a giant’s Achilles tendon, which affects how high
The author of “Losing Control” said Captain Robert Falcon Scott could have avoided his and his team’s demise if he had adequate research. Epstein, author of The Sports Gene, said people can do anything as long as they have enough love and dedication for what they are doing. In other words, people have a lot of—if not total—control over their fate. Their choices and the choices of those around them are what change their fate. The woman at the crossroads will choose whichever path she truly