Janese Johnson

Have you ever wondered if your life is guided by fate or free will? Are we really free at all to make changes in our life to be the healthy, happy individuals that we all deserve to be; or are we destined to live the life that the deck of cards dealt us; or can it be a combination of the two?

One might ask, why does it even matter to worry about any of this? It would seem to matter if we are choosing to live our life in a more awake state because whichever of these choices you believe in or maybe a combination of the two would affect the very core of how you would view your life.

Throughout most ancient and spiritual texts the concept of fate is heavily discussed. In both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, there are many passages throughout indicating the prediction of a future event. In fact they both indicate a messiah that is to come. Buddhism and Hinduism believe heavily in fate insofar as we are fated through our karma. What we have done to others will bring similar results. The Bible says it similarly in ìwhat you sow, so shall ye reap.î

They all emphasize grace, merits, or dharma coming in through good actions. And many other teachings refer to our life as a fated journey, implying that we are mere puppets being walked through this journey of life. Even psychology and science have us set on a fated trail based on our early childhood foundation and genetics.

The problem it seems with this kind of thinking is that we would not have a lot of choice about our life. Gaining greater merit could motivate us, but other than that, it seems as though it is a wait-for-your-life-to-unfold attitude.

And on the other end of the spectrum we have at least two schools of thought that seem to support the idea that we are in total control of our destiny and we can ìcreate our own reality.î

The secular business world is focused on this idea whether they realize it or not. With this school of thought, the focus tends to lean more on what they want to create with business or with their careers. It isnít carried into all areas of life as the ìnew thoughtî group does, but it still comes from the same belief. The ìnew thoughtî is focused on being able to create their own reality through visualization, affirmations, and action.

The problem with this thinking is that we feel that we are in total control of everything, and when ìthingsî happen contrarily, it creates a sense of failure beyond what really is the case. And instead of going inward to find out what is off, the ìcreator of their realityî just pushes a little harder with a little more will. This can create a lot of disharmony, not only for them but for others around them as well.

So perhaps if these two ideologies were woven together in our belief and action in life, we can follow the true dance of our real nature. We can honor the inner unfolding of ìour destinyî while ìpaddling the boatî towards our outer goals. This balanced view in my mind encompasses it all, and can create an inner peace that going 100 percent with either of these ideologies cannot seem to offer everyone. Maybe we can create the changes that we desire to have in our life while still knowing the set road that resonates with who we are.

I also believe that understanding what our personal belief is regarding fate and free will can not only help us feel more empowered in our personal life, but can also help us to become more compassionate with others who might have swung to a different end of the ideology. So whether we are into fate, freewill, or somewhere in the middle, we are all here together. It seems that we can learn a lot from one another, whether we agree with each other or not.