"When destiny knocks at your door, open it. Who knows, he might be bringing you the one you least expected to meet."

Do you believe in destiny? As an old Chinese belief says, "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet. The thread may stretch and tangle, but it will never break." Beautiful isn't it? The way we could imagine that somewhere out there, we are meant for someone. Contrary to what people may usually think, being destined to be with someone doesn't automatically mean romantically. And this old Chinese belief proves that. It simply means that someone out there is meant to be your friend, to be your companion. It means that no matter the distance or the things you do, you will meet at a certain time when fate decides it. It's nice to think that everything you do has a reason. That the people you meet, the things that have happened to you whether good or bad, the experiences you went through is part of some thought of plan. It makes you think of the butterfly effect. That one thing you do could affect so many things. A smile could make someone's day, or a spiteful conversation could send someone into a depression. Come to think of it, we really are connected to each other for some reason. This makes you think about what you do. It makes you feel conscious about what you say or do to people because one mistake could ruin someone's life.

Going over to the romantic side of this belief (as I am a hopeless romantic), this belief is the Chinese version of "soul mates". Nowadays, people rarely do believe in it. Especially with all the overuse of the word "love" in the wrong way. The problem with us humans is that we settle on what is given and we make the abnormal things normal. For example the fact that more and more marriages fail- people nowadays think its a norm. No one ever looks outside the box and sees two people who were afraid to try harder. Another example is that most people settle for what is there. Call me a sappy romantic, but why do you settle for sparks when you can have fireworks? Why settle for someone you can live with rather than a person you can't live without? These two problems can be solved by one thing: take a chance. Despite what movies and books tell you, no one really dares to take a chance unless life threatens you to.

That's the main problem of humanity. Everyone is afraid of being rejected, of being humiliated of being seen as an outcast. Well you know what? I've lived my whole life taking chances. I take things as they go, following my gut the whole way. I've been bruised too many times and I've got the scars to show it. But no matter what, you've just got to keep going. Like Dory said in Finding Nemo, you've got to keep swimming. The world is vast ocean. And if the Chinese knew their beliefs, no matter how far you go, the person you're bound to be with will turn up sooner or later.

Fate can be a real troublemaker It can make or break a person. But like a parent, it knows your best interests. Sooner or later you'd see your life unfold, and piece by piece you'd see that everything happened for a reason. Not everything may be explained now, but someday it will be. Till then learn to take a chance. You'll never know where you'd find yourself.