"Was it really me fulfilling my prophecy?"

Often we hear of stories about people who were destined to do something to be some kind of symbol. It could be a status attributed to a newborn, a deity in flesh. Or it could be people dying shortly and suddenly after accidentally missing a certain death situation. If you had a 'destiny', a preset course of life meant for you, would you follow it, or try to break free from the chains of fate?

Now, the issue to be addressed is the fact that prophecies are usually general and vague. They are lousy guides and most of the time you will understand them only once they have come true, and cause useless anticipation and nervousness before it. In a way, this is why horoscopes often hit the bullseye - people interpret them according to events that happen, which is why a single horoscope can apply to a plethora of cases.

In the cases where the events are described in detail, it is more complicated. If it is a single event, you cannot know that it would happen if you did not change your actions. If it is multiple events, then you can see that the first events do happen as per the prophecy, and you can thus test whether you have the ability to change what happens. If you don't, then there really is nothing to be done. However, if you can change the future, then you will know what will happen if you decide to act in a specific way. You will know the end result of your actions. And that is a powerful tool. Obviously you can anticipate the consequences of many of your actions by simply thinking of the actions, their direct consequences, the potential consequences of the consequences et cetera. But knowing the consequences of an action for certain, that gives you knowledge about how things will work out, as opposed to how things might work out. You know what that means - very simple risk management.