In the Russian language there are many words that used to be quite popular, but now they are practically not used. Many of them can be found only in novels and poems of the Golden or Silver Age, and it is not always clear what this or that expression means. One of those words that are rarely heard these days is the definition of “fatalist”. Learn more about this.

Who is a fatalist

What does a fatalist mean? This is a person who is convinced that he can not influence his fate in any way. From his point of view, everything that is happening is destined from above, and nothing can be changed.

Such people take the religious statement too literally: “For all the will of God,” or the common people: “What to be, not to be avoided.” But this does not mean at all that fatalists are passive and weak-willed, their whole life force is simply aimed at giving events a convenient explanation for them about the inevitability of what is happening, and seeking confirmation of this.

 

People with such a worldview have met at all times. Many such images are described in world literature or shown in cinematic films. These heroes play "Russian roulette", bringing to the temple a half-loaded revolver "random". Often they are the first to rush into battle, not fearing for their lives and sincerely believing that everything will turn out as it should, and there is no need to run from fate.

There are many fatalists among extreme people who daily endanger their lives. This has nothing to do with adrenaline addiction, when a person just needs a certain portion of thrills. This is not to say that fatalists are not afraid of death at all, but they are sincerely convinced that "whoever is destined to hang himself will not drown."

The meaning of the word in dictionaries

Understanding who such a fatalist is, it will be useful to understand where this word came from. Translated from Latin, "fatalis" means "fatal". And in English there is the word "fate", which means "fate".

In the dictionary A.P. Evgenyeva defines this term as a person who believes in the inevitability of fate and predestination.

According to another source edited by D.N.Ushakov, a fatalist is a person who believes in fatum and is prone to fatalism.

T.F. Efremova asserts the same thing, adding that such a person is convinced of the inevitability of fate and sincerely believes that everything is destined in advance. V. Dahl has a similar opinion, supplementing it with the assertion that fatalists deny the freedom of the individual, which is detrimental to morality.

Fatalist lifestyle and beliefs

To define the lifestyle and beliefs of the fatalist, we first turn to the classification of this phenomenon. Fatalism may be:

  1. Household. Adherents of such a world outlook in any troubles blame only the higher forces, who have for some reason ganged up against them. Often people who sincerely believe in a lot of troubles in a short period of time and are in a state of stress often believe this. It happens that this goes away over time, but some hold this view for the rest of their lives.
  2. Theological. Proponents of such a worldview are confident that any events taking place on Earth are predetermined. According to them, in heaven there is something like a “book of fate”, where the life of every person and the planet itself is registered, and it is already impossible to change anything.
  3. Logical. Fatalists of this type include philosophers who try to find a causal relationship in all events. In other words, these people are looking for, if not entirely scientific, then at least not too mystical justification for the opinion that everything is predetermined in advance.


Given the foregoing, it can be concluded that a fatalist of any type is characterized by the role of a passive observer of life, who is not trying, as in the song of Andrei Makarevich, to take action so that "the world caved in under us." They are submissive to their fate and simply go with the flow, and the most unpleasant qualities of such personalities include the fact that they do not want to be responsible for their own actions, referring to the fateful combination of circumstances.

How to recognize a character trait in a person

Recognizing a fatalist in a new acquaintance is not so difficult if you observe this person for some time. There are “mandatory” character traits that are inherent in all personalities of such a warehouse:

    1. Denial of self-worth. Such a person feels his powerlessness before events and fate, and will never try to change his life for the better.
    2. Disbelief in one's strength. This feature is a continuation of the first, when the fatalist prefers not to fight the prevailing circumstances.
    3. Unwillingness to bear responsibility. Such people consider themselves only a tool in the hands of rock, and all their actions are motivated by the fact that fate has developed that way.
  1. Disbelief in chance. It is impossible for a fatalist to prove that an event is just a coincidence. They are confident in the predestination and ordinance of everything that happens around.
  2. Superstition. Such people study numerology and horoscopes, believe in signs. If, on the way to study or work, the fatalist, for example, crosses the path of a black cat, then in all the troubles that happened to him that day, the met animal will be blamed.

In other words, the fatalist makes senseless of his life and belittles his own significance. He is confident in his powerlessness in the face of circumstances and does not try to fight or defend his interests.

Fatalism in History: Examples

Despite obedience to fate, fatalists can achieve certain heights of life. A striking example of this is the history of such prominent personalities:

    1. Guy Julius Caesar. The ancient Roman commander and politician was warned of the danger that threatened him. He was repeatedly informed that a plot was brewing around him.And on the day of Caesar's death, his wife had a dream in which he was killed by several men. The woman told her husband about this and persuaded him to take action, but the commander firmly believed in his lucky star. On the same day, he was killed by intruders, among whom was his pupil Brutus.
    2. Gustav ⅠⅠⅠ. This Swedish king 2 weeks before the tragic events received an anonymous letter, where he was warned of imminent danger, and even called the date of the assassination attempt. But the crown-bearer ignored this information, and on the indicated day, March 29, 1792, went to a masquerade ball held at the Royal Opera. There they shot him. And although a bullet fired from a pistol by guard captain Jacob Ankarström hit Gustav in the leg, 13 days later he died from blood poisoning.

  1. Theodore Van Gogh. This popular filmmaker shot the short film Submission, which condemned the attitude towards women in Islam. As expected, his work aroused the discontent of certain sections of the population, and the director was threatened. The police convinced Theodore that he needed protection, but he was too frivolous about what was happening. As a result, on November 2, 2004, he was attacked on his way to work. Moroccan Mohammed Buyeri first shot the director 8 times, and then stabbed him in the chest and cut his throat.

It is sad to admit, most fatalists themselves are to blame for the fact that their life ended so tragically. Such a sad ending, first of all, is explained not by evil rock, but by man’s carelessness and frivolity. Therefore, you should not believe in fate like this, but try to take responsibility for your life on yourself. In support of this, one can bring popular wisdom: “Hope in God, but do not condone yourself”.

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