Fate or Choice?

[Optimus Prime]

I believe life is prerecorded like a video tape. We record history behind us along a straight timeline of things that happen in rapid succession from the beginning until now. That's the human interpretation, but it works that way on a universal level as well. Only one point can exist at any place on a timeline. That isn't a debateable point, what I mean is you can't be two places at once, and people can't change what has already happened. Since two things can't happen at the same time (for example, you can't split into two people and make two decisions simultaniously), I don't see any reason why your decisions shouldn't be recorded ahead of time just like they were in your past. Since you can't go back in time and chance that decision, and that means it is set in stone after you've made it (literally speaking, not in the sense that you can't "correct" an error in judgement by doing something else later), it probably could have be deduced ahead of time.

I figure with a god-like level of mathematical skill you could read the future just be grinding variables. Personalities, knowledge, psychology and human interaction along with non-human interaction and personal reflection all factor in to personal decision making in any and every situation. Theoretically if you knew all of those things about someone well enough you could predetermine his response to any question or situation in any given set of circumstances. I believe life plays out that way. I think it's a huge chain of mathematical variables that are being crunched to determine how you walk, how you talk, what decisions you make, what you like, who you fall in love with, and the path your life is taking. Just because we can't see how a situation is going to play out doesn't mean it isn't predetermined.

I think the human personality is too unpredictable for your theory to work SB. You completely disregard human reactivity making us sound like robots who will always act the same under particular settings. However, people will not always react the same to an identical scenario under different circumstances, such as when we know we're being studied, it's just human nature.

I also think your theory is too convenient. It's like you're saying, "It's already happened, you can't change it, therefore, it was meant to be."

I agree with you. that you can use <u>probability</u> to determine how likely something is going to happen, but unfortunately there's no science to it, and there will always be an uncertainty no matter how sure you are.

 

[SoulStriker]

I believe in fate myself. I dont really care what anyone else says. I believe in it, to a degree. I'm not a hardcore "You cant change anything, everything you do you were meant to do", but there are times where something happens in my life, and I can quickly say "I was meant to do that" or "That was meant to happen".

I know personally every once in awhile I have one of those dreams where I dream about something that happens a few days later. Explain that with choice.

You can argue on and on with either side, but the simple fact is that its all about what YOU believe. Wiether or not anyone else believes that same belief has nothing to do with it.

 

[-JLN-]

I know personally every once in awhile I have one of those dreams where I dream about something that happens a few days later. Explain that with choice.

That's an interesting point. I've had a couple of those myself (one quite recently although I can only remember discussing it with a friend, not the dream it's self ) and it is an undoubtedly strange thing that I must agree, can't be explained. Infact, there was a small period where alot of what I was thinking, seemed to kind of have some relation in real life at that point, eg. I might have been thinking about someone signing on MSN, then they did. Or, I was thinking about something and I turn the TV on, and there's something related on. There were more, but to be honest, I can't remember.

I kind of just brush them off as coincidence. I've no doubt that a lot of people here will just pass all these events and dreams off as coincidence or something or call me a liar (using the evidence that I can't remember some of them), but I find it quite an interesting point on the debate on fate.

 

[nZ]

Well technically, we're all doomed to fate coz we're all gonna die one day or another , but I think there are always some markers in your life where you know that it wasn't coincidence , which makes you rele think,

i also hav these dreams , i know they are dreams because i remember them perfectly well , and everything happens as according to the dream , actually putting it all together , im starting to believe there is no coincidence. :shocked:

 

[Skiwan]

hmmmmm its not a question that i think is easy to answer, i think boyster is right in many ways, but to be honest i dont want to think like that. but hey either way it dont matter, so lets just get on with it

 

[Godhand]

No, There is no path, Fate, Destiny , Nothing of that sort . Everything you do , you chose yourself to , Nothing and nobody else choses for you .

My opinion .

 

[RavenTrunks]

This is all what I pretty much think.

Your life Is pretty much played out, Choice is just something a human mind considers taking action to certaion scenarios. Like Bolteh said, this could be prewriten as Sonic said, now if he DID commit suicide, then his purpose was either done, or his death would cause a chain reaction that would have made his purpose, REGARDLESS if you think you were proving Sonic wrong.

Now Dejavoo, phenominal thing this is. Everyone just about, had dejavoo sometime. This is basicly glimpses of your future. even when you reconize that you dreamed it in the middle, the original outcome usually happens regaardless just about.(well to me at least) I kinda consider this proof, rather than coincidence. If you want Scientifical proof.... Well theres no way you can predict others actions though dreams in scientifical theorys.(dejavoo)

The only choice we truely in the end have is to beleive the truth, or not.(this goes for anything. And im not saying fate is truth, its what I beleive)

 

[Synth]

Look at this way...

1. You do have a fate, but choices can effect the path to this destiny.

2. The decisions in life that you make, can be considered lessons for a higher purpose.

3. I'll get back to you on the "higher purpose" thing.

You can also reiterate this comment when it comes to Deja Vu.


What you do with your life (the decisions you make) can change what happens to you gradually, but you still end up back to where you were destined to be. It's up to you to realize what this all means, because there is a lesson for you to learn.

I just hope that you've realized the lesson...

 

[DragonDude]

A very small ammount of things are laid out for us, but they were influenced by choices that were made by others, not by "fate" or "destiny" or whatever else anyone decides to call it.
You didn't get to pick where or when you were born, but your parents had influence in it. You didn't get to pick your skin tone, but the ancient decisions of your ancestors to move to a place with a different climate or environment had an influence in that as well. I could go on all day listing examples, but fortunately I won't. =)
I don't believe in fate. When I get up and go to school tomorrow, it isn't set in stone that I'll catch my foot on the second to the last stair and drop a book. It isn't hammered into the divine agenda by the hand of God (possibly getting ahead of myself with the religion, but the two go hand-in-hand) that I'll go out for lunch, and it isn't predetermined that I'll forget I had German homework and do it the hour before. They're all results of decisions (and/or poor judgement).
Frankly, the view of there being one single predetermined path for your life to follow is pretty depressing. If I thought like that, I'd start to wonder why we're even here.

 

[SoulStriker]

If I thought like that, I'd start to wonder why we're even here.

I understand where your coming from, I just wanted to comment on this one line.

The reason why were here is to continue the species and live our lives. Period. Thats about it, were here to live, reproduce and continue the species development and exsistance.

 

[Synth]

Frankly, the view of there being one single predetermined path for your life to follow is pretty depressing. If I thought like that, I'd start to wonder why we're even here.

Maybe that is the purpose... to figure out why your here... eh?

 

[Smith|]

You'll never get an answer for this unless god came down and said that you are doing everything that he tells you to do, but never knew it.

You can go on and on asking yourself what you were going to do and what you would do:

"K, walking over there... no wait, maybe I'm supposed to go there and I'll change my mind now! Oh wait, but then what if I was ment to change my mind there. But crap! What if I was ment to figure that out and continue on, but maybe if I just go back... wait no, that's supposed to happen... but if I keep going this way, I may goto my death, but if I turn around a plane may hit me. Maybe if I just go left... no, that's my purpose, maybe right, no... straight, no... Stand here? No, then I might be doing what I was programmed to do."

 

[Tassadar]

I don't for one second believe in fate. Mostly because of my father. I have his genes, which means I am more likely to become an alchoholic and abandon my children just like he abandoned his. I refuse to believe this will happen, and through that, is often why I keep going.
I believe you always choose your own fate, no one decides what you do for you, and if you let someone control you, then your nothing but a pawn.

 

[Sonic the Vampire]

I think the human personality is too unpredictable for your theory to work SB. You completely disregard human reactivity making us sound like robots who will always act the same under particular settings. However, people will not always react the same to an identical scenario under different circumstances, such as when we know we're being studied, it's just human nature.

I also think your theory is too convenient. It's like you're saying, "It's already happened, you can't change it, therefore, it was meant to be."

I agree with you. that you can use <u>probability</u> to determine how likely something is going to happen, but unfortunately there's no science to it, and there will always be an uncertainty no matter how sure you are.

Just because a human can't figure out the math behind it doesn't mean all of our reactions are logical. Everything happens for a reason. How you are raised and what genes you have, along with the experiences you collect across your life time all determine who you will become. You don't have a say in how you are raised or in your genes, only in how you react to personal experiences, and how you react will be determined by your presonality, which is predetermined by your experiences/genes/child rearing.

You say human behavior is too predictable as though I could ask someone a question they can't answer and they will all of a sudden know the answer out of thin air. Reactions are determined by personality and knowledge, not chance.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Just because a human can't figure out the math behind it doesn't mean all of our reactions are logical. Everything happens for a reason. How you are raised and what genes you have, along with the experiences you collect across your life time all determine who you will become. You don't have a say in how you are raised or in your genes, only in how you react to personal experiences, and how you react will be determined by your presonality, which is predetermined by your experiences/genes/child rearing.

You say human behavior is too predictable as though I could ask someone a question they can't answer and they will all of a sudden know the answer out of thin air. Reactions are determined by personality and knowledge, not chance.

Wow, you absolutely misinterpreted everything I said.

I didn't say human behavious is too predictable, I said it is UNPREDICTABLE! There is too much uncertainty, and although you can use probability to make assumptions and predict how someone MIGHT react, there is far too much UNCERTAINTY....

You twisted my words in a way I never intended.

 

[Soulicro]

I believe fate brought me to this world. I believe that we all have a purpose that eventually we achieve. However, between that purpose and when we were born, we make our own route through out life.

 

[Synth]

I believe fate brought me to this world. I believe that we all have a purpose that eventually we achieve. However, between that purpose and when we were born, we make our own route through out life.

That's basically what I believe, shortened down to three sentences :]

 

[eaz135]

umm, i made the EXACT same topic acouple of months ago :/. Anyways i beleive in choice with death being the only inevitable thing.

 

[ZariusZer0]

I believe that Fate exists, but only to a certain extent. I believe that on a grand scale, little of what we do matters. In fact, most of what we do is nothing but a ripple in the universe, much like you'd have if you dropped a pebble into the Pacific. But enough of these ripples can cause changes in the world, far beyond the extent of that created by one person. Kinda like that idea, about a million butterflies, all flapping their wings at once, and causing a tornado. I think that every little decision we make, no matter how inconsequential, shifts the universe towards some final point, which has many possibilities, but no final spot yet. In most decisions, these are more or less made for us, because we will make certain decisions due to our experiences, our values, and our situations. However, an individual's fate may change drastically, when decisions that are really hard for us come up. Decisions that create a crossroads into our potential futures. These can cause large changes in the fate's of that person, and those around him/her, but, in the terms of the fate of the world, or even just mankind, this change is again, just the wind from the butterfly's wings. Our purpose here may be something as simple as just standing for our individual values, making the decisions we need to, and thusly shaping the world through our smallest actions. Casting our votes on the issue of human nature by our actions, without realizing that we are doing so, would reveal the most honest answers about ourselves, and about what we stand for.

But you shouldnt' think about that sort of thing too much anyway. If doesn't matter if life is really predetermined, because there is no point in believing it is. By believing that your life is set on one straight path, with no chance to change it, you will do nothing but wear yourself down with a sense of futility. You gain nothing by believing that your life is predetermined except for a handy excuse when you don't feel like taking the blame. By believing in yourself, you can move forward with your life, always knowing that you do have an important role in existence, no matter how small it may be, and that will give you confidence in yourself, which is something that can be hard to find. Live life to live it. Do what you enjoy, and do it with people you enjoy. Stand up for what you believe in, and chase your dreams. That's all the meaning that anyone should need in life.

 

[Soulicro]

Heres a depressing thing to consider: The fate\purpose of the human race is to destroy the world and make room for yet another cycle of life, perhaps a more intelligent species.