I think destiny may just be a way to express the state of being in which a person discovers optimal harmony of all his multifarious drives and talents in goal-oriented action.

Ordinary fate offers a little bit to this aspect of the self, a little to that, while suppressing or crippling other aspects. Destiny is a moment within fate where the entirety of self recognizes in an image of accomplishment its fullest, unified potential.

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The goal is taken as destiny, but this goal is not to be reached by whatever means are most expedient. The goal provides the focusing image of the pursuit. The pursuit itself is the root of the value, but the pursuit is consummated by the goal, and the two are inseparable.

This is another example of the consummation relationship, and it is entirely different from goal-directed activity (“the ends justify the means”) and intrinsically pleasurable activity (“the journey is the destination”).

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A boy who falls in love with a girl is called to give her a glimpse of his characteristic reaction to destiny.