Dune and Trying to Control Our Fate
Attachment to Outcomes and Fulfilling Our Destiny: The Terrible Purpose of Paul Atreides
**Contains minimal spoilers for Frank Herbert’s Dune**
I was thirteen when I was first introduced to Frank Herbert’s Dune. After being thrilled by discovering the Lord of the Rings, My great uncle, who was a big fan of these classic fiction stories, handed me a weathered copy of Dune printed a year after the book was published in 1965. There was something about the 1960’s sci-fi art printed on the yellowed pages of this old book that enthralled me. As I flipped through the pages, I could feel the Dune universe coming to life in my mind, like I had just tasted the elusive spice for the first time.
Though I was extremely excited about reading the story, I was just too young to get into it. It was too dense. It was a drag to read, so I abandoned it. Somewhere, though, the imagery of the desert and the spiritual undertones hidden within lodged themselves into my being. It wasn’t until years later that my love for Dune was rekindled.
To this date, I’ve read Dune a total of three times. I really love the story. Being where I am now in life, it makes sense that I was delayed in appreciating the story. The amount of philosophy, spirituality, and (very importantly) Jungian Psychology that was woven into the story is immense. I will someday write another article just on the influence Jung’s theories had on Frank Herbert. The theme of psyche and consciousness (and technology) found in Dune are way ahead of its time. It’s beautiful how a story on the mystery of prophecy is so prophetic.
While there’s a plethora of topics that could be dissected in Dune, this article will be discussing the topic of fate and trying to control our own narrative. Though few of us are the crown prince of Caladan and manufactured Messiah to the Fremen, we all fall into the same fate as Paul Atreides on some level.
Warning: after this point spoilers to Dune and Dune Messiah will be discussed, particularly the fate of Paul Atreides.
Visions
Dune begins following Paul Atreides as the young heir to the house Caladan. His family is secretly training him to be a mentat, a human with a mind that functions equivalent to a computer. At the same time, the Bene Gesserit are testing him to see if he has the personality required to be their “Kwisatz Haderach,” a perfected mind that is capable of wielding what is essentially mind control. Paul begins his journey with some pretty serious brain power.
This is all basic back story and doesn’t really matter that much to the point I am trying to make. What does matter is that because of this, Paul begins to have visions that later come true. They begin as dreams of a girl in a cave in the desert, which sets the scene for much of what happens later on the planet Arrakis, aka Dune.
When Paul finally gets to Arrakis, he is exposed to the elusive spice—a psychoactive compound that is found on the planet which expands Paul’s visionary capacity. After a surprise attack on his family by a rival house, he is forced into the deep desert where he has direct exposure to the spice. His visions begin intensifying to the point where he is very aware of how his future will pan out.
This is where it gets interesting.
At first, Paul saw many different timelines that could commence. This is an accurate portrayal of predicting the future. At any given time, there are a multitude of timelines that are sitting in a “potential” zone, waiting until we make certain decisions to see which path we get to materialize and walk down. Based on our actions, we are forced to pick and solidify one timeline.
This was shown through the work of Erwin Schrödinger and his famous cat. Schrödinger was able to demonstrate that until something was directly observed it remained in a super positioned state, meaning it fluctuated between different outcomes. In his famous cat example, until the box that held the cat was opened, the cat was either alive and dead at the same time. Once an observer opened the box, it would be forced to be one or the other.
The perception of our future works in the same way.
As Paul’s visions became stronger however, he was terrified by what he saw. As he began assimilating into the Fremen people (the desert dwelling inhabitants of the planet Arrakis), the multitude of timelines seemed to be coalescing into one final outcome—a holy war raging across the galaxy by the Fremen people, all in his name.
An outcome he’d rather not see happen.
It seemed to him that no matter what he did, he’d be forced to walk this path. In his mind, this was destined to happen.
Beautiful Terrible Purpose
To Paul, this was his terrible purpose. That any action he took would still fall back into seeing this timeline actualized. This is where I would argue, he went wrong.
While on the topic of timelines, I do think there are certain “nexus” events that must happen. I think it’s unwise to think that we can predict totally what those are, at least on the individual level.
Predicting the future is a dangerous game. Thinking that things “must” happen robs us of our choice in the matter.
When we think that something is going to happen, in a warped way we end up making that thing happen. There is a term for this in psychology—a self fulfilling prophecy. If we think that an outcome is likely to happen, chances are that it ends up happening. Paul, thinking that the holy war in his name was the only outcome he could see, was forced to follow the path where it happened.
Later, after his ultimate demise, Paul’s Sister was reflecting on Paul’s death and commented that she thought he had fallen into exactly this trap. That the future was infinitely open, and there were always different paths that could be walked down if we let ourselves walk down them.
Paul had become so attached, so identified with his vision of the future that he was unable to step outside of his own visionary blind spot. While Paul’s intuitive ignorance led to his death, we don’t have to follow the same fate.
Equally important to add, is that the future can’t be predicted that far out. Due to choices we make in the present moment, the timelines we think we are on could vastly change over the course of a week.
Trying to control our fate is pointless for this reason. It is always shifting. The only “fate” we experience is seeing whatever action we are currently doing to completion.
All we have is the present moment. We can envision a better future for us, but its actualization relies on our ability to take steps in the now.
Really, the idea of fate and purpose boils down to whatever you are doing right now.
As I write this, it is my destiny to finish this article and hit publish. Afterwards it will be my destiny to drink coffee and make breakfast. Yes, I have plans and goals for my future, but constant rumination on them only forces the same fate as Paul Atreides.
Letting go of the path I take to get there, and trusting that my subconscious understands what I am aiming for (and allowing for the opportunities that are similar but may not be exactly what I envision) is the only way to flow to the desired outcome and fulfill the ultimate goal of complete and total presence.
Identifications and Attachment to Outcomes
What this comes down to is the concept of attachment and identification. Really, these are the same thing, for we only become attached to something when on some level we have identified with it.
At the core of most esoteric philosophies is the idea of non-attachment. That to transcend this world and evolve spiritually, we must learn to practice non-attachment and relinquish material reality.
This is true to an extent, though much of this process is done through means of inner relations and identity. Remember, we are experiencing the world entirely through the filter of our subjective experience.
Fundamentally, we become identified with parts of who we are, but rarely the whole of who we are. To be fully identified with our self as a unified being is to achieve a sense of wholeness that is naturally transcending. This experience opens us up to the presence of our soul.
This unified presence that exists outside of time and space places our awareness in the center of the infinite unfolding of reality in and around us. Not being attached to any outcome, we are free to experience reality as it truly is, void of any need (conscious or otherwise) to shape it into what we want it to be.
To be able to see the world accurately, and to enjoy the process of attachment without losing yourself in it, is one of the joys of being a conscious and sentient being.
It is also a fundamental principle that our reality is a reflection of ourselves. We see the world as we see ourselves. But, taken a step further, events happen in our personal lives that are direct reflections of outcomes we are attached to internally.
In a classic example, many people who grew up poor have a deep unconscious belief that they are only able to earn a minimal amount of money. Even if they become successful and make more money than they had growing up, the part that is identified with being poor will sneak into consciousness and sabotage the wealth in some way. They may unnecessarily spend it on things they don’t need, or make unwise choices in their business that cause them to lose more money.
Part of being successful in this way is to work with these unconscious beliefs that may be holding you back.
This is essentially the idea behind the self-fulfilling prophecy.
When there is no attachment or identification occurring, reality is able to flow to and around you with ease. Conscious, positive prophecies take place rather than old narratives that only drag you back to where you don’t want to be.
Transcended from the world, you are free to enjoy what it has to offer.
Without attachment to any one outcome, you are free to enjoy what comes to you, and because you aren’t trying to force it, you end up enjoying what you wanted all along.
This was not Paul’s experience in the slightest.
Conclusion
Though Paul Atreides suffered from an intense case of a self-fulfilling prophecy, who can really blame him? He was genetically engineered to have psychic powers and trained from a young age to have a supercomputer for a brain. Then was forced to become a messiah figure and take over a planet. He had a lot on his plate.
Most of us are not in this position. Most of our problems stem from internal stressors that can be alleviated. Anxiety may be screaming in your ear that everything is going to shit, but really, that’s just one timeline. Equally so, there’s a timeline where everything goes perfectly well. And the best part is that we get to choose which path we walk down. Actions we take in the now create the future we want.
If there’s anything you take from this article let it be this—there’s always a way.
There’s always a way that the more hopeful and positive future will unfold—on personal and collective levels. Let the voice of reason remind you in times of strife that it is not all doom and gloom.
You are never forced to walk down any one path. We have, built into us, a profound ability to take a step back, reevaluate, and move in a different direction.
At the very least we can step back and reframe our circumstances to lead us towards a more meaningful life.
If you liked this post, subscribe to Archetypical below!
If you know anyone who may like this post, please share it with them:
You can also support my work with a donation:
Oh this looks good! Saving this read for when I’m done with Dune. I’ve begun it but it’s also been difficult for me to get through it.
Fascinating read, thank you. Paul did have a true hero’s journey. God Emperor of Dune takes these ideas further, which Leto II being actually trying to control everyone’s destiny, to collapse all of those potential choice states into one, and achieve the Golden Path. Essentially one hero’s journey in the galaxy, his own.