My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an

The words of Sidney Altman, “My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,” speak to the deep truth that destiny often unfolds in ways unforeseen by human design. The heart may set its compass toward one destination, yet the winds of life, unpredictable and unseen, may carry the traveler toward another shore. In this saying lies not only the account of one man’s academic journey, but also the greater wisdom of surrendering to the mysterious hand that shapes our path.

Altman, born in Montreal to immigrant parents, once saw his path set toward McGill University, a renowned beacon of learning in his homeland. But life’s twists carried him across borders to the halls of MIT, where his studies in physics and eventual discoveries in molecular biology would win him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. What began as an unexpected turn became a life of profound impact. His words remind us that the unplanned detour can lead not to ruin, but to greatness, if one accepts it with courage and resolve.

This truth echoes across history. Consider the tale of Christopher Columbus, who sought a route to India but instead stumbled upon the Americas, reshaping the fate of nations. Or the story of Alexander Fleming, who by accident left a culture dish unattended and thus discovered penicillin, saving countless lives. Just as Altman’s intended course was altered, so too these men of science and exploration found destiny in what first appeared as chance. The unexpected event became the crucible of achievement.

In these stories is a lesson: human beings may set their intention, but we must also be prepared to adapt when the road bends. To cling stubbornly to one fixed idea of success is to risk despair, but to embrace the unknown turn is to walk in harmony with the unfolding of life. Altman did not resist the shift in his course; instead, he immersed himself in new learning, and from this willingness to adapt arose a contribution to humanity that has endured.

For those who live now, this teaching is powerful. Perhaps one plans to work in a certain trade, or to remain in a certain city, or to walk a path already trodden by family. Yet when life presents the unforeseen—a lost opportunity, a sudden offer, a door closing—there may also be a hidden blessing. What seems a disappointment may prove to be the guiding hand of fate leading toward a greater purpose. To resist is to suffer; to accept and act with courage is to thrive.

The ancients would say that the river of life cannot be grasped with the hand, yet it can carry the voyager swiftly if he sets his boat to flow with it. Altman’s story is not only of physics or of universities, but of a man who did not despair when life rearranged his course. In this, he teaches us to hold our dreams loosely, to labor faithfully, but also to welcome the unexpected path as perhaps the true design for our lives.

The lesson, then, is clear: set your intention, but prepare your spirit for change. When the winds shift, adjust your sail rather than cursing the storm. When fate closes one door, look for the window it has opened. And when life brings you to unfamiliar ground, do not shrink back in fear, for it may be there, in the strange and the unplanned, that you find your greatest calling.

So, let the young and the old alike remember this: life is not a straight road, but a winding journey, and its unexpected turns are not accidents but the very hands of destiny molding us into who we are meant to become. Accept them with wisdom, walk them with courage, and in the end you too may look back, as Sidney Altman did, and see how what once seemed chance was truly the work of providence.