Is There A Difference Between Destiny & Fate?

I guess I see fate as the end result and destiny as the stuff in between, although I could use them interchangeably and probably not notice. To me fate has a more final sound to it, like it's the end. Destiny is a little bit happier in my mind, it's the journey.

Nope, they're interchangeable. Fate has more use than destiny in literature though. ( Google's NGram Viewer "fate" & "destiny" I don't know why the link doesn't directly work but if you click the "Search lots of books" button it will do it for you... )

If I were to chose a use for the words it's more in their flavor than their definition. I see "Fate" as being attached to a god-driven decree in the old European societies and destiny with less involvement in a deity with a face, and more Force/big power driven (and for some reason more oriental too lol)

Kamizu wrote: Nope, they're interchangeable. Fate has more use than destiny in literature though. ( Google's NGram Viewer "fate" & "destiny" I don't know why the link doesn't directly work but if you click the "Search lots of books" button it will do it for you... )

If I were to chose a use for the words it's more in their flavor than their definition. I see "Fate" as being attached to a god-driven decree in the old European societies and destiny with less involvement in a deity with a face, and more Force/big power driven (and for some reason more oriental too lol)

thanks for posting this - just by the act of you doing that it reminded me of the three fates of greek mythology which i THINK roughly correspond to the three main deities of hinduism which basically are creation - sustinence - destruction

the fates are the ones who measure the strings of our lives with these themes

also your post triggered the thought that one really cool thing about language is that it is alive - all we have to do to change it is to change it!
fantabulous!

OB1Shinobi wrote: Also your post triggered the thought that one really cool thing about language is that it is alive - all we have to do to change it is to change it!
fantabulous!

LOL as much as I love words and the history behind them I tend to dig my heels in when they change. I'm STILL fighting the whole figurative literal thing.

keep up the good fight then, kamizu. there are literally dozens of us willing to go down swinging over such a gross misappropriation of a word. literally dozens.

lol i respect your position but youll never defeat the billions of us who just say whater the hll we want!

which is btw why we dont all speak greek or latin or some such

I think fate is the attempt at destiny. However what ever direction it takes you is if you choose to allow it. To me there is a helping hand but only for so much. At what point have you gone against fate to obtain your destiny of your liking.

Though some will tell you it's what you make it. I believe it it's up to you to decide.

Think of a web of paths. The paths go from bottom to top. There are several places to start, and there are all kinds of cross-paths, all going up to the top. However, every single path stops at the same point at the very top.

Throughout the web there are multiple "destinations" (points where you can choose and change directions). Every time you choose one, you are choosing a "destiny" (your next destination). You get to choose what path you take to your ultimate fate (death). All of our paths lead to it. Fate is ultimate because of this. This is why "fate" is often associated with the connotation of death.

So our destinies are the points and directions we choose to travel toward our ultimate fate.

i use the words in the opposite order but that is a most eloquent way of expressing the idea.

OB1Shinobi wrote: i use the words in the opposite order but that is a most eloquent way of expressing the idea.

OB1 is correct, the proper way of use is fate usually being over come to influence and destiny is the inevitable event.