Fate v Freewill
As you look back on your life think of this...has your path been chosen for you or do you think you have the freewill to decide? Who is in control of you? Can you make any connections to Oedipus and his journey?
posted by annes at 8:10 AM
12 Comments:
I believe that I do have a lot of control over my life, yet I also think that God does influence my life greatly, maybe leading, or attempting to lead, me in a certain direction that he sees fit. But I don't like the idea that my life is determined already, and there is nothing I can do to change it, a little too Puritan for my taste. I do have plans for my future and I think that God, rather than making my destiny, is sitting back and watching what I do and the decisions I make. Maybe, like I said, interacting every now and then.
DISCLAIMER: this is my own personal opinion and my religion, I am not in any way telling people what to believe or think, so please, PLEASE don't do the same to me, or anyone else. That is so annoying, and insulting, let's keep it civil people.
I like Kyle's idea that God guides us but also gives us the ability to practice free will. I believe that we are granted free will but somehow God knows what we will decide to do. The concept is complex and hard to understand but I believe it is possible. Don't ask me how because I would not be able to tell you; in my opinion only God knows how this is possible. I am not sure if people have specific destinies or are doomed from the start, as it seems with Oedipus. He tried to escape his fate but actually went towards it. This seems a little harsh but could he have escaped his "fate" if he had been more observant and not so ignorant?
I tend to agree with Kyle, however I like to think that God has a little bit more to do with things. I think that he has a lot of paths laid out for my life, and I can choose to move between them. Here is a pic to show you what I mean:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/362/2171/1600/paths.jpg
(Pardon the Paint picture)
The paths represent the ideas that God had laid out for my life and the Cyan arrows represent my choices and how they "move" my life from path to path. Does that make any sense at all?
I believe (similair to the rest of you) that I have free will. I can choose to do whatever I want. These different choices influence the world around me and each choice has consequences. I also believe God knows what I will choose before I do so. It may seem confusing at first, but after a little thought the theory makes more sense. I have free will, it is just God knows what I will decide.
My belief is much different than that of Oedipus and how his life unfolds. The gods gave him a horrible destiny and no matter how he acted, it came true. He had no free will.
I like to think that we live by free will. When I think about fate it kind of makes me mad that there is a possiblity that no matter what I do my life will turn out the same way. So because of that I believe we have free will. I don't think there is anyone in control of my life besides myself. I guess that puts me in the same position as Oedipus because he never believed there was anyone in control of his life and really there was. I just hope if there really is fate that mine is better then Oedipus'.
I think that each person's life has a mixture of fate and freewill in it. You are given many choices, but with each choice there are many consequences. You can decide your fate to a certain extent. You can have freewill for a choice, but that choice will lead to a long line of fate. So in your life you decide where you go, but you only set it, you can not control every part of it. So freewill and fate are both a part of your life, and they both mix into your life.
I really liked steph's explanation. I do think we start off with free-will, but later all we have left is fate. I believe that God is watching over us. He watches the paths that we choose. I like to believe that my life is not mapped out. Knowing I will make mistakes, and accomplishments is rewarding. The best part is i don't know the future accomplishments and mistake...
I agree with Mark C in that I think that there is free will, but at the same time, God knows the choices we will make. If you believe in creationism, consider: if God made each of us himself, then it is reasonable to think that he will understand exactly how we will come to decisions and how events in our lives will affect us. I feel that life is more a series of coincidences that God knows what you will make out of them, instead of a foretold path that cannot be deterred from not matter how hard you try. I think that each of us has to believe in free will to a certain extent. After all, if all our actions are predetermined, what point is there in living life and deciding what you want to do?
I think fate plays a big role in everyones lives. Paths can also be chosen or influenced for you by your parents, and then it is your decision wher you are going to take it from there. Fate is having no control over your I guess you could say final destinaiton. I think everyone has some control, afterall WE are the ones that follow through on certain actions.
I really do like Stephanie's explanation of fate and free will. I think that we have a choice of where we go in life but some things are planned out because of the decisions that we make. However in the case of Oedipus I believe that he really had no choice and that his fate was really just controlled by the Gods. I think that it was already in the stars that they would try to avoid their fate because that is what was in their human nature. I think that in some ways my mom has some control over what happens in my life. In my case my mom gives me the freedom to make my own decisions, so indirectly she controls what happens in my life but I ultimitely decide.
I guess I can't really explain what I think on this subject..I just kindof leave it up to faith. I believe that we have the option to make decisions and we decide our own actions but that it is already predetermined by God. He knows what I'm going to do before I even do it. It's kindof like one of those webs in magazines (LAME EXAMPLE) but you can have all of these different outcomes and you pick which one you'll have without knowing in the beginning where you end up. I think we have God's guidance throughout the journey, and that it's our decision, but he knows before we get there :)
Well, this sure is a thought provoking question. I think that it is quite obvious that Oedipus had no control over his long term plans. I think that he had control to make the small decisions, but even those decisions were guided in order to keep him on the main path towards his forced destiny. Oedipus really had no chance from the very beginning. We however, are different. I believe that we are foreordained by God to fulfill certain responsibilities and duties while here on earth, however, it is ultimately up to us. We have the right to make all of the little decisions. All of our small decisions will play a role in our future, and dependent on how we acted, they either will or will not lead us to our foreordained responsibilities. I think that we have certain duties that we are expected to fulfill, yet it is our choice in the end as to what we do.
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