"Are our lives predetermined or are we free to make our own choices?" Is it just me, or is this question awkwardly similar to the one about the chicken and the egg? In truth, there is no way to know. Answers will vary person to person as everyone is free to choose for themselves. In my personal opinion, everything is fated in some way. I do not see fate as a means to an end, but as an end in itself: all the decisions we make will lead us to a predetermined destination.
Fate is a word that gets thrown around a lot. To some it is a way of life. To others it is just another word in the dictionary. It gets used as an excuse for a misfortune. It even puts money in the pockets of astrologers and fortune tellers. In Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, fate is used to explain any and every event that takes place. Among those who beleive in fate are the Tralfamadorians, who try to convince Billy that "There is no why...It simply is" (77-88). Billy even admits that "among the things [he can] not change [are] the past, present, and future" (60), due to the fact that "[a]ll moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, [and] always will exist" (27).
My interpretation of fate differs from that of Vonnegut, as I beleive that fate only refers to destination, rather than the journey. In my opinion, only the major events in our lives are predetermined and inevitable, while we get to choose the outcome of all minor life choices.
-Arshdeep
I like your modified theory about fate. Indeed, I think some people are destined for major events, and they may even be aware of these impending events. But the path to each event is where the free-will lies. Great post.
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