What controls our fate?

Napoleon Bonaparte, a courageous ruler of France who once ruled almost the entire world, ultimately lost a final battle. The reason was quite small, but it teaches us a profound lesson – what you cannot let go of starts to dictate your destiny; it controls your fate! This mighty emperor had a deep-seated fear of cats and a king who stood bravely against Napoleon, ready for battle, came to know this. As the king prepared to fight Napoleon, he realized that the key to defeating Napoleon could be found in this very fear. As the battle reached a point where Napoleon was on the verge of victory, the king unleashed a swarm of cats towards him. Seeing this, Napoleon panicked. His entire focus shifted to the cats. He was so terrified that his fear became apparent to his soldiers, who witnessed their own king trembling and lost their confidence. This is how Napoleon lost the battle.

I’d like to share another example. It dates back to when banks used pen and paper to record transactions. Then came computers and it was soon made compulsory for all branches to adopt this new technology. Many banks had branches where this shift was mandatory, including one where my friend’s father worked. However, his father believed that at his age, it wasn’t possible to learn something new and he refused to learn computers. So, he submitted a formal request to his manager, expressing his unwillingness to adapt to the new system. Thus, the manager transferred him to another branch, 55 km away, where computers had not yet been made compulsory. Now, instead of traveling 2 km to go to his workplace, he had to travel 55 km, which had a significant impact on his health. Ultimately, he chose to retire early.

Whether it’s Napoleon Bonaparte’s fear of cats or the belief that “I can’t learn anything new at this age,” if we hold on to something, that very thing will begin to control our fate. If we can’t let go of a belief, that belief will gradually shape and control our destiny. Think about what it is that we are unable to let go of and how, by not letting go, it is bringing an impact into our lives that we don’t want to happen.