Excerpt

Excerpt from Robin Hobb's Fools Fate:

The White Prophet's premise seems simple. He wished to set the world in a different path than the one it had rolled on through so many circuits of time. According to him, time always repeats itself, and in every repetition, people make most of the same foolish mistakes they've always made. They live from day to day, giving in to appetites and desires, convinced that what they do does not matter in the larger scheme of things.
According to the White Prophet, nothing could be further from the truth. Every small, unselfish action nudges the world into a better path. An accumulation of small acts can change the world. The fate of the worldcan pivot on one man's death. Or turn a different way because of his survival.

This is why I really love fantasy. Because in the midst of all this fatntastical, mystical, otherworldly adventure, there is often a heart of thought that either causes me to think differently about the world or resonates with what I've been thinking about already. A good fiction writer doesn't just write fun stories. They connect with life, with our continual struggles with fate and purpose and hardship and doubt.
With all my musings about every single thing mattering, I thought to take the implication of that. This reminded me that, not only does every little thing I do count and matter and so demand a disciplined and vigilant life response, but every good thing that I have done is one to be treasured. I don't need to be famous or to amaze thousands of people with what I can do or say in order for my life to have purpose in this world. Every good thing I do and have done has been meaningful. Every good thing I've done has mattered, and I should not cheapen the goodness that God has brought to my life by imagining that my life is meaningless.