The Red String of Fate

I've never believed in soul mates.

To be perfectly honest, I don't really believe in "love" either.  From a young age, we're all brainwashed by fairytales and whatnot that our "soul mate" is out there, and that someday we're going to marry that person and live happily ever after like a princess.

For the suckers who actually believe this, are you aware that the divorce rate in the US is close to 50%?

That being said, how can you believe in things like "love" and "soul mates"?

I know I must sound like a real downer.  I never plan on getting married.  I consider love to be a temporary mental illness.  No, I am not a typical "hopeless romantic" Cancer (seriously, my sign doesn't fit me at all :P).

But even though I don't believe in it, doesn't mean I haven't wondered about it.  I've often wondered about soul mates and the whole "red string of fate" thing.

Like, what happens if the person you're destined to be with dies?  Technically speaking, this should mean that any love you have won't work out, because the person you were destined to be with died.  Any person you end up with instead is destined to be with another person.

Unless, of course, both Person 1 and Person 2's respective soul mates died.  And if this happened, would they be able to find happiness with each other, or would neither be able to find happiness in love?

Or what if the person you're supposed to be with is on the other side of the planet in a country you've never heard of?  Would "fate" make sure they ended up together?  Or would they die without ever knowing each other?

What if you don't meet your soul mate until after you've already married someone else?  Would that give you permission to cheat on your spouse?

Or what if your soul mate is half your age or something?  In that case, would consensual teacher-student scandals be okay?

What about reincarnation?  Are people's souls tied together, surpassing the impermanence of life?  Or are you destined to a new person every time you're reborn?

That being said, if your soul mate dies, will the string reattach to another person who's soul mate has also died?  Will it still remain attached your soul mate's soul?  In that case, will you not find your soul mate in that life (because, you know, he/she is dead) and hopefully will find him/her in the next life?


Like I said, I don't believe in things like love and soul mates.  But sometimes when I think about this, I can't help but wonder if it's true.  I can't help but think about the guy I knew from a long, long time ago, who's name I can't even remember.  Sometimes, to my embarrassment, I'll even squint at my pinky fingers really, really hard in hopes of seeing the red string of fate.  (To no avail, of course.)  Because even though deep down I know these things don't exist, sometimes I can't help but want them to be real.