Are we really the master of our own destiny?

By Amanda Price

There are several ways to view the future. One is to look ahead and see it as a series of tunnels, one of which we will pass through. A tunnel-shaped future appears like a road map and we, the history makers, decide which route history will take.

When it comes to discussions on the future of the Korean Peninsula, there are three tunnels most frequently discussed: peaceful reunification; a continuation of what has already been, and war.

As South Koreans and the interested world debate which tunnel will be selected following the April summit and, hopefully, the summits that follow, tunnelling-related topics are at an all-time high. I have had the privilege of reading some brilliantly reasoned and comprehensively researched pieces on the subject, and I have read some absolute tripe. What marks the truly excellent pieces is an acknowledgement that there are unquestionably more than three tunnels and, unlike the concrete ones, not all are manmade.

Despite what we'd like to believe, history is not always decided by the well-thought-through decisions of men. Tunnels we had no idea were even there appear as if out of nowhere. Tunnels we were certain of disappear with startling speed, and the course of history veers off the map, taking a turn that no one could have imagined.

We are almost all guilty of looking back in life's rear-view mirror and seeing history as a series of fixed events, deliberately mapped to make the past so much more neat and tidy than it was. History is, in fact, anything but neat and tidy.

The fall of the Berlin Wall, so often used as a reference point in discussions about reunification, was one of those tunnels that appeared out of nowhere. Now seared into our collective memories as one of modern history's most seminal events, the downfall of the Berlin Wall happened pretty much by accident.

An East German official, Geunter Schwaboski, failed to read in full the orders sent by the Politburo that outlined that there would be a relaxation of border regulations. Caught out by a journalist who asked will the restriction be removed immediately, Geunter answered in the affirmative. Journalists immediately launched this news across the nation and the rest, as they say, is history. You can read about this event in more detail here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103001846.html

The last time I checked, the United States and Russia were still in existence. Taking at least a little credit for this is a gentleman named Stanislav Petrov, a Russian duty officer, who 30 years ago when Russian computers detected that the U.S. had launched nuclear missiles made the decision to disobey protocol and not report it to his superiors (superiors who would have pressed their own “launch” button). Realizing the devastating consequences, he waited and during that wait the lights on his panel blinked off. Petrov changed the rules and consequently chose to give history another chance.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24280831

Similarly, unanticipated events led to the relative success of the Normandy campaign (D-day). Notwithstanding the horrific cost in human lives, the allied commanders had no idea that Germany's most brilliant military mind, Erwin Rommel, had decided to leave the battlefield to surprise his wife on her birthday. Also unanticipated were the winds that blew allied troops over vast areas of land, making a specific landing look more like a major invasion. A loving husband and some gusts of wind? Who would consider that these could be factors in the success of a major military operation.

Perhaps one of the most powerful speeches of the 20th century, which began with “I have a dream,” was, in fact, improvised. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr. had not intended to share his dream, and we will never know what prompted him in front of thousands of people to share something so emotive and so personal. After his assassination years later, these few lines were recalled and led millions to again begin peaceful protests around the world.

Accidental discoveries and inventions have also played a part in changing history: the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls as a result of a wandering goat; the revelation of penicillin as a result of a specimen slide that had not been cleaned; the accidental discovery of X-rays as cathode rays were being examined; the discovery of gun powder by Taoists alchemists who were seeking for “The Elixir of Life” … and the list goes on.

So why is any of this relevant to the future of the Korean Peninsula? For me at least, it is a powerful reminder to avoid becoming arrogant in any speculation. More importantly, though, it is a call to humility and to remember that we are not always the master of our own destiny.

Do we let go of the wheel then? No, absolutely not. Most accidental turns in history occurred while people were trying to find solutions. Rather than losing motivation, we gain courage as we accept that our responsibility is to do what is humanly possible. With renewed humility, we acknowledge that while none of us are fully in control, neither are we all adrift. We do what we can in the best way we can, so the unexpected is a detour and not a dead end.

Very little of the future that is ahead of the peninsula is likely to be neat and tidy. Some of it may appear chaotic and even dangerous, and none of it precludes the unpredictable.

An unexpected glitch may cause all of Kim's missiles to be incapable of re-entry? An unexpected conflict may see his regime toppled without a gunshot? International support may come from an unexpected source so that North Koreans can rebuild their lives with dignity? A leader may arise from the most unlikely corner? A slender man holding shopping bags may decide to face off with a North Korean tank and win?

If we are honest students of history, we must admit that no one can be sure of what will happen, just as no one can exclude the unpredictable, perhaps even the unimaginable.

I am reminded at this point of a line from “The Fellowship of the Ring.” “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I”, said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

That decision, at least, is ours.

Amanda is the former Director of Hillcrest College's International Student Department. She is the founder of Griffith University History Readers and now writes full-time. She can be reached at

amanda-price@bigpond.com