(277) Destiny, religion and the value of life

By Janet Shin

In the process of our journey through life, we face many incidents that cannot be evaded though we are utterly abhorrent to them. There are some things we cannot take regardless of how desperately we crave for them.

Birth and death can be two of them. There are many others such as the loss of the most beloved person. The quirk of fate would drive you to a hopeless situation.

Losing one’s parents early in life, for instance, which leads to an unfortunate childhood then disadvantage in educational opportunity in youth and poverty, are just several examples that no one cannot expect in life.

One may encounter the events once or more along the life path that would devastate his or her entire fortune.

Death, apparently, is not something we can ward off. There still exist sufferings of basic instinct, such as hunger, physical pain and even thirst.

Unwanted accidents may totally change our lives. People, in their times of despair, can think about something that would alter their circumstances.

Fatalism is one of people’s beliefs to get over their abject agonies even though it sounds passive. Saju, divination and many other types of fortune telling have been taught to brighten the fear of dark clouds.

Others may seek solace in religion. Actually religion is a super ordinate concept over any fortune telling approaches. The latter, especially saju, should be considered a wisdom of life or common sense. It is more about the order of nature.

Destiny is what everybody is wondering about most. Our contemporary life is affluent but they are full of dread and anxiety at the same time. Because our society has reached a certain level of security, torture of calamity becomes more brutal. This irrationality and comparative deprivation are the roots of tragedies of our time.

If we could read our destiny so that we knew where we are and in what situation we are in, how long we should wait and which path we should take, it would be a great enlightenment. Saju guides you along the journey with a certain cosmological principle of the change.

However would it have been possible to predict every accident so that we could avert the recent tragic Sewol ferry disaster by saju reading?

Unfortunately rarely has it been foretold. Maybe there is a great diviner who makes a prophecy and lead people toward a safer way.

Some fortune tellers assert they portended that in advance. However their messages were not candid enough to influence the world.

In this sense, religion consoles the wounded soul better. And that’s why it has a higher value in its influence over human life.

During the past week, Korean society has fallen into bottomless mourning. We were shocked and infuriated. We resented those involved irresponsible adults then reproached ourselves.

It was so painful to watch the site and news flashes over and over again, but couldn’t help taking our eyes off from them. It wasn’t just a feeling of sadness but that of regret.

Paradoxically speaking, the wrath and despair can be substituted by hope and gratitude. This is the providence of the cosmos.

There always arises the opposite energy at the highest concentration of the other. This is how the yin and yang transform each other as symbolized by Taiji. There is no absolute darkness or brightness.

People would gradually apprehend how others concerned from the heart prayed for them. In the moment of crisis when the unethical people in charge escaped the ferry first, there were other passengers, students and a crew member who sacrificed themselves for the life of others.

Their righteous deeds will get more and more of people’s attention. This ultimate devastation would become a small seed to purify our world.

We pray that the deep hurt caused by our outer self would eventually strengthen our inner self. Despair and hope always appear one after another.

Information: Are you interested in learning more about the ancient Chinese teaching about the “Four Pillars of Destiny”? For further information, visit Janet’s website at www.fourpillarskorea.com, contact her at 010-5414-7461 or email janetshin@hotmail.com.

The writer is the author of “Life’s Secrets”.