mrrnice2 157005 Report post Posted September 20, 2012 Destiny or Coincidence? I have a friend who believes that as we go through life that we meet people and run into situations that are all determined by some 'force' of nature or of the universe. That is not something that I ever believed before or I guess truthfully that I ever really considered or thought about. Now at this point in my life it has given me cause to wonder. I am open minded enough to take that idea under advisement but I would not be able to accept pre-destiny. Even if I accept that the premise that meetings and circumstances are determined by some higher power, I do like to think that once they occur it is my own nature and free will that will influence future events. I am not particularly religious but do believe that there is 'something'. I am absolutely committed to personal choice and responsibility. Are the ideas of personal responsibility and some higher intervention contradictory? Just one more of life's little mysteries. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Katherine of Halifax 113932 Report post Posted September 20, 2012 I defintily belive in pre destiny. In fact I believe when we are still source energy we sigh a contact with the Universe and agree to the life we are given. I agree with mrrnice that we do get to influence and in some ways make out path, however, When things and life are going totally against me that is a sign to me that I am way off course and I am far away from the agreement that I signed way back when. When I am present enough to re look at how I am doing things and when I realize what is going on, sometimes I can redo and then I am back in flow again. This does not always happen though and I don't always have enough discipline to do what I aready know is right. As spirit we are very smart, in our human state I am always wondering. Good question mrrnice! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
contraman 5480 Report post Posted September 20, 2012 I can't accept the predestination stuff. We're animals, just like dogs or cats or whales. We follow our needs and desires, we live, then we die. No great plan, no architect. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrgreen760 37785 Report post Posted September 20, 2012 I'm big into everything good or bad happens for a reason. I believe in fate, esp and all that other stuff, I'm open to it and go with the flow. I've never had a plan, goal or a bucket list, life for me unfolds as it unfolds. I've had my share of good and bad but they have all contributed to the kind of person I am today and I'm cool with that. I'm happy and positve and am blessed to have all I'll ever need and am appreciative each and every day. Peace MG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MightyPen 67414 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 No, I don't believe at all in destiny. Stuff just happens, and the stuff we try to make happen sometimes goes well and sometimes goes badly. But I know that "meanings" are the stock-in-trade of our minds, and we're all strongly predisposed to believe that the things that happen to us (or don't) are Meaningful. That's totally cool, and useful, because when you feel strongly that something was Fate that's a source of clues to how your own subconscious really works. Pick up the threads, follow why you feel so strongly that there's meaning behind the event, and you'll learn something about yourself. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smithwick 7122 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 I am a strong believer in God and in science. The way I have always reconciled this is to subscribe to the concept of determinism, but not active manipulation by a higher power. I believe that 13.7 billion years ago God caused the big bang, and as such set the universe off on just one possible set of outcomes. I believe an omnipotent being that can create a universe can set it in motion however it wants to. I believe right from the start, the formation of atoms, of molecules, of stars, of planets, of galaxies and of life was already set out. The laws of physics were set at that point, and everything follows from that. While I believe that all actions are already planned out, I still believe in free will, or at least the appearance of free will. We don't know the outcomes, so we still have to live our lives as we would. That is the only way to live it. It does not diminish my enjoyment of life, the little things and simple pleasures, or my curiosity for what I do not know. I'm just a passenger enjoying the ride! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cato 160314 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 Free will all the way! A Supreme Being who would treat human beings as mere playthings or tools of His/Her purposes would not be morally worthy to be a Supreme Being. (Cato's Doctrine LOL) 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gia Wren Marlowe 67985 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Coming from the other sides of things, I don't believe in a higher being or fate, but I'm not sure I believe in free will, either. Oh no, Contraman, I'm stealing your contrarian powers!! All kidding aside, there are a lot of things that go into our decisions that we are not aware of. Our conscious mind sometimes finds reasons for things we've done instinctively after the fact. I'm doing a poor job of explaining it, but I've come across a lot of articles and interesting reads over the last couple of years that question how much of our personalities are predetermined by genes, and how much of our decision-making is ruled by biology. In essence, yes, we make our own decisions. But to a certain extent the kind of choices we will make are already determined once we're born. I always aim to learn and grow and change, but I'm willing to entertain the possibility that there may be other things behind my decisions than me simply weighing the pros and cons. I'm not sure if we have free will or not, but I thinks it's possible that the level of free will we have, pure freedom, I mean, is negligible. But I know that I don't believe a higher power is putting people, events, or anything else in our paths to teach us things. I believe all of that is random. I hope that kind of made sense. Edited September 22, 2012 by Gia Wren Marlowe Some how wrote conscience instead of conscious. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nicolette Vaughn 294340 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 I believe there are a series of events that are planned out for us in our lives and not by coincidence. The outcome is predetermined by free will, actions and furthermore, consequences or rewards based on free will and what life has given or taken away from us. We all serve a purpose on this planet and many of us don't quite know what that purpose is but it is there. Finding it is another story. I also believe in the law of attraction. You will attract what you think, feel, act based on positive or negative reponses. Actually I don't know what I just wrote. I just responded to how I feel as I'm very intuitive. I have even more of a bigger migrane now answering this than I did today but that's my 2 cents. lol. Gnite. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CristyCurves 169032 Report post Posted September 21, 2012 I believe we are all responsible for our own destiny. We are the ones that control our lives. However I do believe there are forces that can influence our decisions and destiny, coincidences maybe, but typically I believe there is an explanation for every action and reaction. I also believe that mankind are only a small part of the universe and not at the "top". We are like any other living being on this planet, one in a chain of many and no more important. Instead of feeling superior we need to realize how inferior we really are in the grand scheme of things. JMO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mikeyboy 27133 Report post Posted September 22, 2012 "I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose free will" -Neil Peart (Sorry, geeky Rush fan moment..... addresses this issue quite insightfully though ;-) ) 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phaedrus 209521 Report post Posted September 24, 2012 I believe that 13.7 billion years ago God caused the big bang, and as such set the universe off on just one possible set of outcomes. I believe an omnipotent being that can create a universe can set it in motion however it wants to. I believe right from the start, the formation of atoms, of molecules, of stars, of planets, of galaxies and of life was already set out. The laws of physics were set at that point, and everything follows from that. Unfortunately for your argument, the laws of physics have now been demonstrated to predict probabilities of outcomes, rather than actual events. Your argument was fine until Quantum Mechanics came along, but it hasn't held water for a century or so. The reason macroscopic events appear so predictable isn't that they --must-- turn out that way... just that it's overwhelmingly likely that they will. The deterministic laws that preceded this are still useful, but even they rapidly supply provably insoluble problems (the classical three-body problem is a good example of this). As for destiny and things of that nature... sorry, not buying it. The universe just --is--. It has no underlying purpose. There is no higher power that gives a damn how the universe, or any particular bit of it, works out. Your particular path is and will be what you make of it; there's no inevitability about anything. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
u*der*** 100 Report post Posted September 30, 2012 I don`t think our lives are mapped out from the get go. I do believe people give off energy depending on the type of person they are and in turn we will attract certain types of people into our lives. In that sense some things are predetermined because how you act or who you are will attract certain people into your life. What you do with the people around you is your choice. If you don`t like what life is giving you, you can close up shop, go back into the lab for awhile and change things about yourself to attract different people into your life. I know that is easier said then done but it`s possible to change your stars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
