Have you ever felt that your fate was set long before you took your first step? For some, destiny isn’t just a romantic idea — it’s a lived reality that slowly reveals itself, scene by scene, like a screenplay already written. One man’s unexpected journey from the Navy to the tax office, and his daughter’s circuitous path to becoming a police officer, suggest that perhaps our stories are more predetermined than we think.
It started with a laugh and a fortune
Back in 1985, while stationed with the Navy on a goodwill mission to South Africa, a young officer had his fortune read using Zi Wei Dou Shu — an ancient Chinese astrology system. The reading predicted he’d one day work for the Ministry of Finance. It was laughable at the time. After all, he was a proud mechanical officer in the Navy, not some desk-bound bureaucrat. But life, as it turns out, had a script all its own.
After returning to Taiwan, he transitioned into a teaching role — one that was less combat-oriented and more classroom-based. That move led him to study accounting at night school, a shift prompted by circumstance, but that opened new doors. Eventually, he passed the civil service exam and, at age 33, joined the tax administration — a path his teenage self could never have imagined. The ancient reading had come true, as if it had simply read ahead in the script.
A twist in the daughter’s tale
Inspired by his own experience, the father used Zi Wei Dou Shu to peer into the futures of his two daughters. His eldest daughter’s chart indicated she was born with a warrior’s spirit — ideal for a life in uniform. But when she attended a summer camp at the police academy as a sixth grader, she was repulsed by the rigid routines: sitting only on one-third of the bench, eating with posture-perfect discipline. Her dreams of joining the police crumbled overnight.
Still, life had its plan
Due to allergies, she was unable to take Western medicine. Instead, she chose to study traditional Chinese medicine at university, spending late nights in the lab researching herbal compounds. She later joined Kaohsiung Medical University as a research assistant — a respectable job with modest pay. But then came the twist: She asked her father to fund her prep classes so she could take the special post-baccalaureate exam for police work.
When destiny loops back around
It was a curveball. After years of scientific study, she circled back to her original calling. After two years of rigorous study, she passed the police exam and joined the force. However, the night shifts clashed with her sleep disorder, making the job unbearable. She planned to resign and focus on becoming a police officer with a rank, asking her father to support her once again.
But her superiors wouldn’t let her leave. Her sharp analytical skills and keen sense of smell — honed in the lab — had led to multiple drug busts. She was too valuable. Remarkably, despite still being employed and under an intense workload, she passed the police academy entrance exam. Her boss, stunned, quipped, “You’ve got everything now — except a husband.”
Today, she works in a criminal investigations unit, drawing on her medical background to excel in forensic analysis. Her story — and her father’s — seem to confirm the idea that our journeys might not be random at all.
Maybe we’re just following a well-written script
The father reflects on how the skills he gained in the Navy — including mechanical and digital knowledge — helped him thrive in tax administration. Similarly, his daughter’s long hours in the lab turned her into a forensic star. These aren’t just coincidences, he believes — they’re karmic payoffs.
To him, life is a reflection of deeds done in past lives. Good actions generate “de” (virtue), leading to blessings and prosperity. Evil actions generate “ye” (karma), leading to toil and struggle. “There’s no need to obsess over fortune-telling,” he says, “because what’s meant for you won’t slip away, and what isn’t, you can’t force. Just live kindly, do good, and let life unfold as it was written.”
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