Master and Commander

It's funny, but entirely independently, in response to the things I've been going through lately; several friends of mine have quoted this poem (notably, one of my favorites):

Invictus

William Earnest Hensley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.

It is indeed fitting. Some believe we are simply floating on the tide of events and circumstances. I know otherwise. Yes, the universe around us exerts a powerful influence; but it is NOT deterministic, nor is it entirely random.

Our outcomes, are the result of our circumstances, the events which occur in our lives, our reactions to them, and our decisions as we navigate the waters.

I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.