IS THERE SUCH A THING CALLED FATE?

IS THERE SUCH A THING CALLED FATE?
When I was young, and devoted to my catechism in Sunday school,
I grew up with the notion that all that happens(good or bad)
is a result of God's actions. He surely plans for each one of us. God plans for
each minute in every one's life, so I believed I associated God
with fate. To me, God knew whether I was going to have supper
in a given evening.
When a trigger happy soldier or an irate warrior shot some one
on his way or in the market place, I was inclined to believe,
and say of the victim-'that was his day, it was planned by that
supernatural force that decides when to take one's life, even
by that evil hand, to die in the hands of the bandit!
That has been my concept about day to day living, about my
future and the destiny of those around me. That was then.
I do not think there is such a thing as fate; it is us
who shape our destiny. We master it and there is no such a thing.
The future is not set. The future is a stage and the next act
depends on how we act it out, now!
A student who plays a lot and does not take his work seriously
has no reason to think that he will pass exams, at least genuinely
even if through an arrangement by a supernatural force, even if
it is pre-ordained.
The carnage on our roads and the entire transport system is not a
result of fate, or don't you think so? The drink driving, the bad
roads, the old vehicles cause the accidents.
This is not a strategy that is being carried out by an assumed
force out there to achieve its aim. That chopper or vehicle is
not ill-fated. It was either overloaded, had a mechanical problem,
was driven badly or ran out of aviation fuel. Fate is a creation
to escape from the core issue.
We are being told, ‘your life is in your hands’. Can we say it is not?
Do not sit and watch opportunities go by, thinking that your future
is predetermined and that your actions won't affect it; unless you
disagree.