Dharma and destiny is that chapter, of the book ‘Thick Face Black Heart’, which answers the most important question of our life, which all of us have pondered at one point or the other: Is our fate pre-determined by a superior force, or is it a result of our own efforts? The author of the book, Chin-Ning Chu, lays equal emphasis on both identifying one’s destiny, and doing their present job with hard work and determination.
The chapter progresses with the author advocating the reader to both believe in his destiny and also advising him on the fruits of self effort. She strikes a balance between these two seemingly opposite arguments, when she says that though one has to fulfill his Dharma and wait for the destiny to signal them in the right direction, he should do so by fully dedicating himself to whatever present job he is at. She says though the present job of the person might not be his Dharma and might not be giving him much joy, it can give him important life lessons which he can utilize when destiny come calling with his chosen Dharma.
Each paragraph of this chapter has a topic sentence which is duly expanded by the subsequent lines. Though initially the subject dealt, oscillates between the two main issues namely, belief in a supreme power and self help, if read carefully we can see that the author gradually arranges one idea after another leading to a captivating conclusion. The conclusion draws support from all the views and stories shared by the author from the beginning of the chapter.
Every paragraph conveys a point which helps in clarifying one of the many miniscule aspects of the larger subject dealt with. The chapter begins with Chu explaining that, though from a young age we are taught that we should choose a vocation which we love most, it is only a partial side of the story. Then she narrate a series of stories , some of them hers some others, which helps her in clarifying to her readers the central idea of the chapter, which is how to find out which job will give a person satisfaction, both morally and monetarily. But key here is figuring one’s Dharma while performing his present job optimally, and not by ignoring it or bad mouthing about the organization he works for.
In addition to apt arrangement of ideas, the coherence of the views also helps the author in driving home her point. Each paragraph contains smoothly connected ideas (though it appears distorted in the initial few pages) which flows in a way that makes the subject easy to grasp. The stories narrated in the first few pages shows alternating ideas. Whilst the author was benefited when she accepted the things fate handed over to her instead of fighting it and vice versa, whereas the son of a poor woman, who was foretold a bleak destiny by a fortune teller, succeeds in life because he and his mother take efforts to fight their destiny. Though such stories conveyed opposing ideas, the pages that followed provided the required clarity to the reader and there is a unity in the ideas expressed.
The essence of the chapter is that destiny plays an important role in all our lives and our Dharma is predetermined. But you can fulfill your Dharma only through self help. The following quote from the chapter summarizes aptly the content of the interesting and enlightening concept of Dharma and Destiny:
Works Cited
Chu, Chin-Ning (1992). Thick Face, Black Heart: The Warrior Philosophy for Conquering the Challenges of Business and Life. Warner Books. Print.
