Destiny is a myth

[FruitfulTime]

I want to share the following with you:

Do you believe that you were born with a predefined destiny? Ever though about what are the implications of believing in destiny? It means that no matter how hard you struggle to improve your life, if there is written that you will die poor, you can do nothing about it. How sad!

Here's another yet more serious implication. If every human being has a destiny then criminals were born tagged so. They were born hard wired to do crimes and be a burden on society. But such belief hints that we are not free to control our lives. If you believe that people are born hardwired then it means there is nothing like decision taking, since everything that we do and will be doing is planned and pre-written in this book called destiny.

No it can't be. It is us who decide what our destiny will be. That is, a criminal decides to be a criminal with every crime he does. He has the option not to do it and change his life. A successful business man becomes so with every decision that he takes. You are reading this post because you want to read it and not because it was part of your destiny.

Stop dreaming and start acting. Your life is in your hand and you can control it. You can choose to waste it or you can choose to do something valuable. Destiny does not exist!

Still not convinced?

FruitfulTime Blog

[Akashic_Librarian]

Haha. As the marelvingian says in The Matrix "Where some see providence, I see consequence." And to an extend I do agree with you. We do have control. But in other ways we are completely out of control. Is there divine guidance from Angels, or other deities...I doubt it. Personally I don't go in for that. I believe in angels but not like most people do lol. However I do believe that there is a part of our consciousness, whether thats a physical, tangible part of the brain like the hypothalamus controls temperature so does a part control our destiny. Or maybe its more a philosophical thing. Like a Higher Self, more a product of consciosuness and awareness rather than a quantative process.

Who knows.

But what I do know is, from many experiences, that starting your post off with an attack, no matter how light hearted, and certainly when its only your 5th post, will win you no supporters. Believe me.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

But what I do know is, from many experiences, that starting your post off with an attack, no matter how light hearted, and certainly when its only your 5th post, will win you no supporters. Believe me.

I dont think he is on the attack. Rather I think he is asking us to reflect on a rhetorical question. He is playing Devil's Advocate as such.

Anyway in a nutshell. This question of pre determination is an age old philosophical teaser. Have we free will in fact?

In my opinion it doesnt matter what the 'truth' is: because we will never know the answer. The bottom line is, go out and live your life to the best you can, and leave such things to the philosophers.

[DaleCall]

If the physical laws of the universe are deterministic, then yes, there is a destiny and absolutely everything that happens was "supposed" to happen. However since we have no way of predicting the future (we'd need the exact laws of the universe and its complete state at some point in time, which isn't feasible), in practice we do have free will, or the illusion of it. So I reach the same conclusion as you do : your life is in your hand and you can control it, or at least it feels that way. Problem solved

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by DaleCall

If the physical laws of the universe are deterministic, then yes, there is a destiny and absolutely everything that happens was "supposed" to happen. However since we have no way of predicting the future (we'd need the exact laws of the universe and its complete state at some point in time, which isn't feasible), in practice we do have free will, or the illusion of it. So I reach the same conclusion as you do : your life is in your hand and you can control it, or at least it feels that way. Problem solved

Yip. You've still gotta pay the mortgage, regardless!

[FruitfulTime]

If the physical laws of the universe are deterministic, then yes, there is a destiny and absolutely everything that happens was "supposed" to happen.

Even though if we know that the physical laws are deterministic and if we can (and know how to) represent the current state of the universe it can still be the case that destiny does not exists. Laws being deterministic means that if you apply this law with this input then you get this output. Do it hundred times the same then you get the same output. But still there is the choice of will (as you have rightly mentioned). I still have the right to choose whether to do something or not

But what I do know is, from many experiences, that starting your post off with an attack, no matter how light hearted, and certainly when its only your 5th post, will win you no supporters. Believe me.

Sorry that you took so badly... My intention was to make you reflect as Stephen has rightly mentioned!

[wolfgang]

We have free will in so much as we act on our own in a separate individuality. Free will is part of an illusion of the ego. The more conscious we are, the less deciding and trying to be a certain way happens - we become moved by spirit's will. Our ego's free will is to either go out on it's own and create suffering for one's self (fall from Eden) or surrender and become one with all that is.

Destiny exists in that we all have the opportunity to find heaven on earth in our own lives. This doesn't mean that it will go as planned because we have free will at an ego level. And our free will actually takes us away from realizing heaven, which is our destiny. I mean, eventually we all die and will return to heaven but it's up to us if we follow that destiny now or when we kick the bucket. Actually - it's probably still up to us if we decide to realize heaven when we die too.

[The David]

That doesn't look like an attack to me.

I believe strongly in choice. Of course, you can invoke metaphysical arguments to say that we are destined to make those choices, but for all practical purposes that argument is irrelevant. I'm saying we can take the initiative to change and create something from life. At the same time, however, I think we're
better off using the circumstances in our lives, especially for those of us who are older. Be creative, but play the cards you're dealt. There are no snowballs in hell.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by FruitfulTime

Even though if we know that the physical laws are deterministic and if we can (and know how to) represent the current state of the universe it can still be the case that destiny does not exists. Laws being deterministic means that if you apply this law with this input then you get this output. Do it hundred times the same then you get the same output. But still there is the choice of will (as you have rightly mentioned). I still have the right to choose whether to do something or not

I don't quite understand your point. If the universe is deterministic then the inputs (and thus outputs) of the laws are all predetermined. A particular molecule having a particular velocity and momentum during the big bang leads to X which leads to Y which leads to [...] which leads to you having certain genetics, living a certain life, thinking particular thoughts and taking particular actions.

Of course, even if the universe is predetermined from the moment of the big bang, it's not possible to calculate the outcome anyway (to do so would take a computer bigger than the universe) so it might as well not be from our perspective.

Like David said, whether we have true Free Will or just the illusion of Free Will is both unknowable and irrelevant - whether it's predetermined or not we still make the best choices we can and take the best actions we can at any given moment.

[DaleCall]

Originally Posted by Keith

A particular molecule having a particular velocity and momentum during the big bang leads to X which leads to Y which leads to [...] which leads to you [...] thinking particular thoughts and taking particular actions.

That's exactly what I meant. FruitfulTime seems to think that "thinking" and "free will" aren't consequences of physics, which I do and obviously you do too. However, as far as I know, nobody knows for sure yet