Destiny

[FlawlessHappiness]

I'm believing, that here is a life. And that life is what you make it to.

If you don't do anything, you cannot expect anything to happen.

Well, i could believe in destiny, but then my destiny would change all the time, because i would be making new choices.

And yet it is impossible to do nothing.

Right

What i meant was: The less you do, the less is gonna happen.

[Adny]

Anyone could say that any action I do is my "destiny". It could be my "destiny" to type this sentence. If I chose to say "nevermind, this is a pointless subject" and delete this post then go play Halo 4, someone could continually say THAT was my "destiny". I of course could not refute it, but I don't need to in order to know it is complete malarkey.

We all have free will; its as simple as that. To me personally, it seems to be a notion derived from the existence of a deity, which I will have no part of.

[Acies]

Go fuck yourselves.

Spoiler below!

Note that in a universe following the laws of destiny; I am not guilty for offending anyone. It was predetermined that I was going to say "Go fuck yourselves."

Not a very responsible way of perceiving the universe, is it?

Maybe it was our destiny to get offended and outrageously mad at you in response.

In a universe which follows the laws of destiny and those laws being commonly known, there would be no word/perception of "individual responsibility". That is because if every single action is predestined, there would be no free will. However, living in a "destined universe" would not mean that there is a lack of logic in such a universe; every action has a reaction, ergo every predestined action has a predestined reaction. So in short, you would not be considered "not guilty/guilty" and people would react to your "Go fuck yourselves".



Well, onto some general rant on destiny vs. non-destiny:
The thought of destiny might be comforting, as it points to some divine purpose to your life; however shitty you might feel at the moment, in the end, your life had meaning (even if that meaning was beyond you). This wouldn't implicate that every single action is pre-destined, merely some parts of your life might be (parts outside of your control); the time of your death for example - as that might happen in a multitude of ways.

On the other hand, a universe which isn't pre-destined doesn't mean your life has no meaning, you'd simply choose the meaning yourself - but you do not have the option to take comfort in that "there is a meaning above your understanding".

I like to envision fate/destiny/events unfolding in this way:


Where each dot represents an event/decision in your life, which is encompassed by an infinite amount of lines (= choices/outcomes) leading to the next section of dots. I'm not sure if I believe in destiny or not, haven't really thought it through or taken a stance on it

[FlawlessHappiness]

Just came to the thought:Maybe our destiny isn't something in the future. It isn't already chosen.
It's what already happened. It is what you are now.

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Anyone could say that any action I do is my "destiny". It could be my "destiny" to type this sentence. If I chose to say "nevermind, this is apointless subject" and delete this post then go play Halo 4, someone could continually say THAT was my "destiny". I of course could not refute it, but I don't need to in order to know it is complete malarkey.

This pretty much. It doesn't matter if everything is predetermined or not, because it has no effect on my life. Even if such a thing as destiny exists, I cannot possibly know what I am "destined" to do in the future. So where is the difference to just assuming I have free will? (Other than maybe a slightly different feeling about life) Whatever I do can always be called "destiny" in hindsight, thus I see no point in thinking further about it.

[nemesis567]

I resent the idea. I'm fiercely independent and vehemently oppose ideas that are forced upon me (the ones I consciously notice). Still, the idea of destiny isn't completely detestable to me. As long as I didn't know what it was I would be able to adapt to just living in blissful ignorance. Nemesis567 may come along and try to convince people that they are spectators in their own bodies again but honestly, anyone who has experienced blackouts knows what being a spectator really feels like (it doesn't feel good).

Quantum physics and the general theory of chaos tell you there is no such thing as fate. But then...

[J.R.S.S.]

Whether it be a set outcome; whether destiny leads us to our deaths and stripes us of our freedom of choice; whether a hell lashes out around us; whether a heaven for us awaits; whether the stars shine less and the earth sheds its tears; whether it be our so-called fate to die, the result is always the same -- we are man ... and today we stand tall.

Remember my fellow man, act as you will for Destiny holds no grasp on the free minded.

[Bridge]

Whether it be a set outcome; whether destiny leads us to our deaths and stripes us of our freedom of choice; whether a hell lashes out around us; whether a heaven for us awaits; whether the stars shine less and the earth sheds its tears; whether it be our so-called fate to die, the result is always the same -- we are man ... and today we stand tall.

Remember my fellow man, act as you will for Destiny holds no grasp on the free minded.

I take it you're a writer? No offense intended, but I hope you realize it's a bit of a faux pas to talk like that directly to other people. I'm a fairly pretentious individual when it comes to phrasing sentences, but even I take exception to the fact that you aren't really addressing anybody or giving your unadultered opinion.

Quantum physics and the general theory of chaos tell you there is no such thing as fate. But then...
[/quote]

My point was that even if there is such a thing as destiny, it doesn't matter, because the difference between "thinking" you have a choice and not having one at all is huge. I'd wager that most adolescents and young adults are fine with the idea of destiny, liquoring themselves up almost to the point of death or using nearly-lethal doses of unregulated drugs. You may think you can't draw a line between the two concepts but there comes a time when the conscious mind just can't take it anymore and the subconscious takes over. Many people love the sensation of not feeling anything and not having a say in anything their body chooses to do, but personally it makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

Even though you say your subconscious makes your decisions for you, having it control your body totally unfettered and simply being kind of an administrator are two very different things.