What is Destiny?
by Silver
*Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or its characters and creatures.*
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Destiny. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. The word keeps rolling around in my head like a demon. Just what is destiny, anyway? We call ourselves the Digidestined, and our coming to the Digital World was prophesied. Heck, we even said that it was destiny just before we defeated Apocalymon, but did we even realize what we were saying?
Since I'm not needed in the Digital World as much anymore, I've finally had some time to think about this. The word "Destiny" makes it sound as if something is set in stone and impossible to change. I remember what Sora asked me the night after Izzy discovered we were just bits of data within the Digital World. She said that it made us sound so small and she wondered whether or not anything we did really made a difference. I'm beginning to wonder the same thing about Destiny. Do the things we do really matter, or is our victory a given? If the Digidestined really are predestined to save the Digital World, then it doesn't matter what we do, because we'll eventually win in the end, right? We could just lie flat on our butts, and some miracle would happen that we'd win hands-down, no problem. That's what destiny sounds like to me.
I don't believe that! I won't accept that we were simply given a victory because we had "destiny" on our side. We fought hard and stuck together, and we won our battles on our own, with or without destiny. I couldn't stand the thought that everything we did and went through was unnecessary because destiny said we had already won! It's true that Gennai sent us a prophecy to help defeat VenomMyotismon, but that only went so far. The prophecy said that if Angemon and Angewomon shot Matt and I with arrows of hope and light, a miracle would happen.
Well, a miracle did happen. Agumon and Gabumon warp digivolved into WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, but was that the end? No. The miracle was the warp digivolution, but what we did with that miracle was up to us. VenomMyotismon was still stronger than our Digimon, even at the Mega level, so we still had to fight hard to win that battle. The prophecy helped, but I still think we won that fight on our own will power and unity. It's like I told Sora, we can't take the chance that our actions don't mean anything.
Sora… Now that's another thing about destiny. I've been hearing a lot of people talk. They say that Sora and I are destined to be together. People are also saying that my sister, Kari, is destined to be with Matt's brother, TK. Do those people even realize what destiny means? If Sora and I really are destined for one another, does that mean that we don't have a real choice in who we love? What if I fall in love with someone else? Don't I have a say in who I give my heart to, or has destiny decided for me? And if I miss my chance to marry Sora, does that mean I'll have to be alone for the rest of my life? I don't think so.
Is there room for love in Destiny? The way everyone is talking, it sounds as if destiny comes first, then love. I know this sounds strange, but I want to work to win the heart of the person I love, not just have love handed to me on a silver platter. If I haven't earned someone's love, then it really isn't love to begin with, it's just cold, emotionless destiny.
Then there's the matter of the Digital World. I'm really not needed as much anymore. Davis and the others have taken over being the Digidestined. They've already saved the Digital World from Ken, and they're putting up a good fight against Archnemon and BlackWarGreymon. But what does that mean for me? I can't enter the battle like I did in the old days. Agumon can't even warp digivolve very easily anymore. I'm no longer the head Digidestined, so does that mean that destiny's done with me? Have I served my purpose, and now I'm not needed anymore? That makes me sound like a simple tool that can be thrown away once it's no longer needed.
If I'm only useful as long as Destiny has a purpose for me, then I'm not really a human being, am I? I'm just a machine, a tool, for destiny to use and discard once I've done the task that was required. I earned the crest of Courage, it wasn't just handed to me. I'm brave because of who I am, but if destiny shaped my life so that I would be brave, then I really haven't earned anything. What's worse, I'm not in control of my own life or who I am. If destiny shapes my life, then I have no choice.
I once looked up the term "Destiny" in Webster's Dictionary. It said:
Destiny: Invincible necessity; fate; a necessity or fixed order of things established, as by a divine decree, or by indissoluble connection of causes and effects.
Of course, then I had to look up what "indissoluble" meant. It means unbreakable, or undissolvable. Basically, it's saying that destiny, if not made by divine decree, is a series of events that are linked together and are unbreakable. One event leads to only one outcome. Sounds like free choice doesn't factor in.
With the definition of destiny, I found a quote by a guy named Spencer:
"But who can turn the stream of destiny?"
Gee, that sounds cheery. That got me wondering, what happens when destiny turns against us? Up until now, destiny, if it really exists, has been in our corner. If destiny is controlling us, then we've had it on our side in every fight we've been through. But what would happen if destiny required a Digidestined to give up his or her life to save the world? What if we ever found a prophecy that said that the child of hope, or light, or courage, or something had to give up his or her life to defeat a great evil? Would we have to give our friend up without a fight, or would we be powerless to stop his or her death, or could we find an alternative solution? I just don't know. If Kari was required to give her life to save the world, I wouldn't let her do it! I know I would refuse to simply give her up, or anyone else for that matter, just because some stupid prophecy told me to do so.
I'm a Digidestined, not because someone told me that I had to be, but because I chose to protect my friends and family. I fought because I care about people, not because I knew I would win because of destiny. I don't know if destiny's decided things for me, but I believe that I'm still in control. If I choose to, I can throw my digivice in a river, and walk away from being a Digidestined, can't I? I'm not bound by destiny, I can leave if I wanted to. But I don't want to leave, because I care; or, maybe it's destiny that's making me care? Oh, now I'm not so sure. I might think I'm free, but am I really just ignorant of destiny? I just don't know, but I need to be sure. I want to know, I need to know, but no one can prove it to me, one way or the other.
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Author's note: Pretty confusing, eh? I came up with this about two seconds after reading an opinion paper that said, flat out, TK and Kari were destined for one another. Man, that really pushed my buttons. As you can guess, I don't believe in predestined romances. It also got me wondering just how much destiny plays a part in Digimon. If destiny's already decided that they've won the fight, then the show become a lot less interesting to me. I'm interested in hearing what other people think about destiny (but I'm not as interested in what people think of predestined romantic couples). Please review and speak your minds!