This isn’t meant to be presented as an in-depth technical research position but rather a general conceptual view to spur thought.
Are the events of our lives and decisions we make predetermined or are we free agents and responsible for our own decisions and all that happens in our lives? For those who believe that our lives and the events that occur are predetermined, either take the position that everything that happens is necessitated by what has already gone before, in such a way that nothing can happen otherwise than it does; or they believe that the events that happen are fated by divine rule. The other side of the coin is that we make our own choices and are responsible for our own actions and the events that occur are a combination of chance and our choices and actions. Or is there possibly another view?….
I frequently hear people refer to fate or “God” regarding some event, hope, or achievement in their lives. Most often I hear people say that if it’s “God’s” plan for them, they will get the job they applied for; they pray to “God” that their daughter/son will get accepted to the college they want; it was fate that they got into a car accident; it was fate they met their spouse; they know “God” has something in store for them.
If fate and divine intervention are the result of the things that happen in one’s life, to what extent exactly is it a ruling factor? If a student prays to “God” that they pass their test and they do pass, to what extent was it due to “God” or the studying the student did prior to the test? If it was in fact fated that the student passed their test then studying wouldn’t be necessary because it was “God’s” will that they pass the test. What about the student that studied and passed their test… did “God” cause them to study which resulted in them passing their test? Or what about the student that studied but didn’t pass the test… did “God” want them to fail the test? For those who have this view, the issue I have is no matter what you do or don’t do it has already been decided. If that is the case then our lives have already been defined for us and we don’t really have any control over any of the decisions we make because they are necessary according to the path that has already been decided. Are we really living our own lives or merely playing the roll of a character in a story that has been decided for us?
What about all of the unpleasant or undesirable things people experience, that too then must be the result of fate and “God’s” will. If you get a speeding ticket or run into someone and get into an accident, “God” made you speed or crash your car? Then there are crimes such as theft and murder; is “God” also causing people to commit those acts as well because it has been decided they will do those things? If a person says those crimes were made possible because someone gave into temptation by “Satan”, is that too the result of “God’s” will because he allowed you to give in to the temptation? Or is the claim that when someone commits an unjust act “God” presented them with the option to act virtuously or without virtue? If that’s the case then “God” decides when to reward you? That sounds like conditional free will, “I’ll let you make choices when I want you too.” When someone loses their job, or a child becomes an orphan because their parents were killed, or a parent loses their infant child to a terminal disease, “God” wanted that to happen and those impacted to endure that heartache and pain? If this view is questioned the typical response is, “It’s all part of ‘God’s’ plan.” And if you question it further the response is, “You just have to have faith.”
I’m sorry but I need more of a response then that. Simply saying “it’s all part of ‘God’s’ plan” or “you just have to have faith” isn’t much different than asking a child why they did something they know they shouldn’t and they reply with “Because.” If all that happens is the result of fate and “God’s” will then how can anyone ever be held accountable for what they do or what happens? There have been instances when a person being charged with killing someone has claimed as their defense that “God” told them to do it. There are examples in the Bible of killing in “God’s” name and people claim that things happen as a result of “God’s” will. There seems to be a bit of an issue here… on one hand people want to claim events are the result of fate and “God’s” will but then want to punish someone for doing what was fated by “God” according to this view.
What about free will? There are some that believe “God” created all that exists but does not intervene in the events that occur. We make our own choices and are responsible for our own actions and all that happens. I like the idea of that better than the thought of my life basically being a character in a story that’s being acted out based on a predefined script.
What about another possibility? What if fate occurred not at the individual person level but at the global, universe, and cosmos level? The events of fate occur at the global, universe, and cosmos level as the result of “God” managing all that he created. As individuals we may or may not become involved in an act of fate due to decisions we make in our day-to-day lives. All that exists is the result of “God’s” creation and is interconnected and affects and is affected by everything. Consider this… plant life is dependent on the sun, soil, and water; herbivore animals depend on the plant life, sun and water; omnivore animals depend on other animals, plants, sun, and water… see where I’m going with this? This is just one of many interconnected and mutually supporting life cycles, just as “God” designed, all working together in harmony that is nature. “God” created mankind with the ability to reason and to be logical and rational, though this can easily be questioned when we consider the behavior and actions of ourselves and others. As reasoning and logical beings we too are meant to live in harmony not only with the world around us but with our fellow human beings. In addition to living in harmony with nature and the world around us, we must also live in harmony with our own nature.
What is living in harmony with our own nature? Living in harmony with your own nature is more than just living as a reasoning and logical being. When born each person is ingrained with unique abilities and attributes. Some people have natural artistic abilities, some have a natural aptitude for math, science, or music. Regardless of what their unique ability or attribute is, it is part of their own nature in addition to being a reasoning and logical being. I believe there is another aspect to this though. When born, “God” incorporates specific life events into our existence. These life events aren’t defined to occur at specific times/ages in or lives, they are just life events our existence is defined with which also become a part of our unique nature. Each person’s life events are unique to their existence. For instance, one of a persons’ life events might be that they get married but the life event isn’t so specific that it is to a specific person. An aspect of a person’s own nature might be they have a unique aptitude for math and their life event might be to have a career as an engineer. What type of engineer or working for a specific employer isn’t a defined life event, only that they are to be an engineer. We are to live our lives in harmony with nature and our own nature. Having considered this concept, how many people do you know that have ever made a comment that they aren’t happy with their career, or where they work, or some other aspect of their life. Think of the above and the person who’s own nature consists of a unique aptitude for math and has a life event of a career as an engineer. That person obtained a degree in engineering but chose a career as a teacher and isn’t happy with their career. This would be a result of not living their life in harmony with their own nature. Any time things happen in our lives that we believe to be “bad luck” or when things aren’t going well, these are “God’s” way of giving us hints we are not living our lives in harmony with nature and our own nature. When I reflect on my own life and consider the various times when I felt as though things weren’t going very well, I can trace it back to a decision I made that eventually led to that moment in my life. I am the father of two daughters who constantly amaze me and who I love dearly. I believe one of my life events was to be a father but since I’m now divorced maybe being married is not one of my life events. I believe one of my life events was to graduate from college because had I not, I wouldn’t have achieved some of the career accomplishments I have. Not because my degree is in a specific field but solely because I have a degree. I really enjoy where I work and the type of work I do; had I pursued a career in politics or a career that specifically required my specific degree, I don’t know that I would be as happy or successful as I’ve been. The career environment I’ve been working in since 2003 required that I have a degree in order to be hired but didn’t require the degree to be in a specific field. My current title is IT Manager and my degree is a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. My daughters and I are in a really good place in life and I attribute that to living our lives in harmony with nature and our own natures. When things aren’t going well or we feel as though we are experiencing “bad luck” I attribute that to decisions that we make that are not in accordance to living our lives in harmony with nature and our own nature. When we live our lives according to nature and our own nature it is fate because it is as “God” intended; and when thing don’t go well or we feel we are experiencing “bad luck”, that too is fate because “God” is trying to give us hints we are not living our lives according to nature and our own nature.
Stay strong and push on.