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October: Fate vs. Free Will
Libba says, "One of the themes in the book is about fate versus free will. Gemma believes in free will while Kartik believes in fate. What do you believe?"
Libba says, "One of the themes in the book is about fate versus free will. Gemma believes in free will while Kartik believes in fate. What do you believe?" 
11 comments:
I believe in free will, sheer determination, and true hope. Because coincidences are so much a part of my life - on a regular, almost daily basis - I wonder about fate as well.
I believe in providence! 100%!
I believe in both--there can be both, right?
Melissa: I definitely think so.
I'm with Melissa - I don't think they are mutually exclusive.
If free will is the ability to chose one’s destiny, and a loose definition of fate is that over which we have no control (e.g. being short), then free will and fate obviously form a symbiotic relationship governing the progression of our lives. If a more spiritual definition of fate is employed, then we get to say, “I guess it was meant to be.” However, at the risk of sounding harsh, fate is too often used as an excuse for the poor decisions we make (i.e. free will gone awry). That said, I think I’m a very lucky person. Guess it was just meant to be.
I think I'm a both person, too. Certainly, I believe we should be the captains of our own ships, so to speak, but I've also had some pretty wonderfully lucky, some might say divine, experiences.
Like Marlene, my concern about fate is that I have seen people use their interpretation of it to mean that God has ordained something, which can be an excuse for all kinds of abuses. Certain people/institutions use this idea of fate as a means of being absolved of any accountability, and I think we are always accountable for our lives. We can't always control what happens to us, but we can exercise our free will to determine how we respond to the events of our lives. We always have the option to change.
Good discussion. Wide thoughts.
Providence gives me such peace of mind, and yet, I believe, man is responsible for his acts. It's an antinomy!
Welcome, Marlene!
OK, I had to look up antinomy. I believe in free will. I do not believe in fate, that God is up there orchestrating my every move, thought, and decision. And yet I do believe in God, a personal God. I believe that God is affected by my actions on my own behalf.
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