In A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway wrote “They say the seeds of what we will do are in all of us.”

That’s a big idea in a short sentence. If you only knew what a baby’s seed blend is, you could see everything they were capable of and every possible future they might create.

If our lives are predestined we’re absolved of making an effort to overcome our faults. The idea is sort of appealing. Your fate is cast. No reason to overcome your demons or feel remorse for inflicting misery on others. You’re only growing the seeds that were preloaded when you came into this world.

If you belittle, bully, and betray others, you’re not the problem. You just have an overabundance of  Anger seeds.
If you are a famous designer who drives global fashion trends, you didn’t need to work hard or work your way up. You had Creativity and Luck seeds.
If you are arrested for perpetrating crimes that defraud elderly people, you’re the one who deserves an apology. “You think you’ve got it hard, being swindled out of all your money? What about me? I was born without Integrity seeds!”

Ok, these are exaggerations but you see my point? Fate robs us of our ability to shape our lives. If the seeds of what we’ll do in life are already in us at birth (maybe through genetics, personality, socioeconomics, family structure, location, etc.) then your mythology–everything you’ve experienced since you were born–has made no difference at all. All of your joys and sorrows, the people surrounding you, the choices you’ve made, the books and music that inspired you—all of this has left no more impression on you than drops of rain. You can’t escape your fate.

I disagree with Hemingway though he expressed his thought beautifully. The opposite is true! We have very few seeds, if any, that were with us from birth to today.  But we are continually planting seeds. Our lives are the result of how we spend our time, what we think about, our self-talk, and the people we allow to influence us.

Okay, no more wrestling with philosophical questions tonight!

How about a contest? The first two people to guess all three correct answers wins a signed copy of Has it Come to This? The Mysterious, Unsolved Murder of Frank Richardson!  (US only–international shipping rates are too pricy!)

Contest:  

Look at the pictures and see if you can spot the seeds of who they grew up to be. Link to Contest form is beneath the pictures.

Picture 1:

Picture 2: Who is the child sitting in the cart looking at the photographer?

Picture 3:

 

Enter the contest here! Contest ends December 13 and answers will be posted.

Did you see Has It Come to This is available? It’s taken me a long time to republish my books but it’s finally done! Has it Come to This would be a great Christmas present for any true crime lovers in your life. A real Christmas Eve murder mystery!