Can we really change our stars?

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest?


The clip that is shown is from a scene in the movie , A Knight's Tale. In the movie, William, a peasant, wins a jousting tournament after replacing his recently deceased master. William then tries to persuade fellow peasants Wat and Roland to join him in his attempt to achieve glory and riches by participating in further jousting tournaments. William explains that nobles seized nobility " at the tip or their swords", and finally convinces his friends to join him.

For the purpose of answering this question, take a look at  Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder,actor,businessman and politician. He has won a record number of 7 IFBB Mr.Olympia titles, the most prestigious prize in bodybuilding, and has revolutionized the sport, becoming one of the most famous and influential bodybuilders in history. He has ran a successful business and  successfully invested in property. He is one of the of the most recognizable figures of all time, starring in iconic movies like the Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian, and made a cameo in the Expendables. He has also served two terms as the Governor of the state of California.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

But did Arnold have all that handed to him in a silver platter? Was it his "destiny" to become one of the most iconic figures in history?  According to his biography, Arnold had a rough childhood. He was born in a little rural village of Thal, Austria , and is the son of a strict former Nazi officer. Would Arnold grow up to be a racist neo-Nazi like his father before him? Would he grow up to be nothing more than just a Austrian villager? Would that be his life path because he was born into it?No. Arnold had big ambitions since a young age. His family was poor, so he made a home gym out of wooden blocks and strings and anything he could find, and trained hard. When he first moved to the United States to pursue his bodybuilding and acting ambitions, he knew little English and had a heavy accent, but tried to adapt. In other words, he worked hard and he believed that he can do it, and so he shaped his life path according to his dreams.

Back in medieval times, most notably in Europe, it was virtually impossible to change one's social status, it was determined at birth. If you were born a serf, you live a serf. If you had the privilege to be born a noble you live as a noble. There were exceptions elsewhere during this time such as the Chinese Emperors' decisions to assign government positions to people based on merit, not birth.However, that is a rare exception.

During the Renaissance, things changed a little. Even though Calvinists believed in predestination, which is the believe that your destiny is determined before birth, people were gradually able to change their "destinies". The rise of the middle class is evidence that people were beginning to prosper and better their situations, people changing their life paths.

How times have changed.Today, we all have the opportunity to change our "destiny" and reach our dreams, however far that may be, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger did. All one needs is to believe and put in the effort. So long as one's ambition is for one's and the world's betterment, God will always be there to guide you and help you if as you are willing to put in the effort. It is never easy, and the road will never be smooth, but one can achieve great things if one is persistent and diligent.Therefore, yes, one can change one's life path, and one can most definitely change one's own stars.