Openness

Nothing is meant to be.

There is no predestination.

In ancient texts, the idea of predestination is very strong, but the usage of the term  is purely metaphorical. People in the past used the word to express feelings of  affinity for a place, a time, or for others. But nothing of the future is set.

There is no cosmic puppeteer at work. We are solely responsible for our own  actions. It is true that we can become mired in circumstances so strong and so far-reaching that they will continue to have ramifications far into the future.

For example, if we construct circumstances right, such as starting an organization to help  others, then the good will last for a long time. However, if we fall far into debt and  do nothing to help ourselves, then the bad will also last a long time. Yet in both  cases, our lasting situations are results of our own actions. This is not destiny. It is  causality.

Causality is from the past, and nothing is acting from the future. There is no  script, no pattern to walk into. Everything has to be created, and we are the artists.

Those who follow Tao endeavour to have as few restrictions placed upon them  as possible. By completing each action, they minimize causality. By living fully in  the present, they absorb the best of what each day has to offer.

By understanding  that there is no literal destiny, fate, or predestination, they keep the future as free  and open as possible.

That is truly the openness of life.