Fate

Josh66

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I don't normally believe that my life is scripted, but sometimes it feels that way. Sometimes things happen where the only explanation is 'it was fate'.

Recently, something happened (I don't want to go into the details) - a series of unlikely events, and it feels like 'fate' to me. Like it was destined to happen that way. Like it could not have happened any other way.

It's comforting and scary at the same time.


...There is no real point to this thread - I'm not looking for answers or anything like that. Just interested in hearing what other people think about this subject. I understand that this may get 'religious' at some point, and this thread will most likely end by being locked, but I guess I'm hoping that we can be civil for a while.

So, fate. Do you have one, or is every day a fresh start?
 
I believe in fate. And, I believe in God. I feel God and "fate" are intertwined. Yet, I also believe in the universal (and also spiritual) principle of reaping what we sow. Sometimes, it may seem like fate...a good thing that happens to us that we cannot explain but that could be reaping what we have sown.

At the risk of rambling, yes! I believe in fate. :^}
 
As an aside...every day IS a fresh start...whether fate has anything to do with it or not. I believe in fate but I also believe our lives...good bad or indifferent...are based on our decisions and not mere fate. Example...a child has cancer and we wonder why such a "fate?" But that child...lives in a positive way and touches hundreds of people with his or her positive outlook on life. The child may die but the legacy left changes many lives. That too can be fate. Sometimes fate comes in odd forms...

I read a remarkable book by a holocaust survivor called A Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl. He speaks about how in the camps, one still could will himself to press on. It was a decision to live and try to find beauty in the day. So...his fate seemed bleak. Despite his fate, he made a decision to press on and be positive. And wrote a remarkable book that changed many lives. It changed mine. :blushing:

Fate? Perhaps.

Many ways to view it I suppose.
 
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I sometimes feel that way too mate. Though I don't think I'd call it fate. Usually for me its when something has worked out, possibly in a way I never expected, normally after a wee scrape. If you think about it rationally, with all the things that don't work out in life random chance means that some will. We tend to remember the unusual and dismiss the ordinary, which can mean we ignore the possibilities of what could have happened and forget, but we remember the ones that worked out more.

The magician Derren Brown did a related program called Luck, I think which touched on peoples perceptions and whither they thought they were lucky or not. It's worth a watch as A - Derren Brown is a brilliant magician and entertainer and B - the program contains a little truth. Well worth a watch and I'll see if I can find a link

Oh and in case you or anyone else wonders I am secular, I don't believe in god, ghosts or monsters, but I do my best to respect other peoples beliefs as long as it does not infringe on any others.
 
I wish there was some order in this chaos!

Our brains are hardwired to find order in chaos. Meaning we pick out patterns in the seemingly random.

We also suffer from confirmation bias. Meaning you remember the hits and forget the misses.

But if it helps you get through the day, more so the better.
 
I believe in fate. And, I believe in God.

Depending on which denomination (if any) you follow, this may or may not be the 'normal way of doing things'. The two are certainly not exclusive. Predetermination, that's what they call it. I always had a problem with predetermination, but sometimes 'it just feels right'.
 
I believe in fate. And, I believe in God.

Depending on which denomination (if any) you follow, this may or may not be the 'normal way of doing things'. The two are certainly not exclusive. Predetermination, that's what they call it. I always had a problem with predetermination, but sometimes 'it just feels right'.

Hmmm, a feeling though is not synonymous with fate. Good and bad things happen and frankly, fate can play a role in both. I too don't fully like the idea of predetermination. Whether it is fate or not, I sense from your thread that something positive is happening in your life yes? If so...enjoy this moment. :^)
 
Sort of positive and negative intermixed. I can't feel good about these events, though they may in fact be good. Depending on the perspective you see them in...
 
I believe in determinism, and I believe in some loose form of Karma. Not quite fate, but it flirts with it.
 
I personally do not feel comfortable in the thought that there is some "controlling" entity that defines our lives.

We are what we are, and we control our own "fates". I would think that if there was some "higher" entity, it would have better things to do than manage our simple lives.
 
I personally do not feel comfortable in the thought that there is some "controlling" entity that defines our lives.

We are what we are, and we control our own "fates". I would think that if there was some "higher" entity, it would have better things to do than manage our simple lives.

No offense, but your lack of comfort doesn't determine what is or isn't true.

In a world where each and every day we are able to show more and more patterns via better and better math algorithms and science, it's fairly logical to assume that everything and anything can be mapped out... just so long as you have all the formulas in place.
 
Hmm, Manahiem, your comment reminds me of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series of books.

I am not sure that it would be capable of predicting an individuals exact actions in life ... society as a whole, probably.
 
I personally do not feel comfortable in the thought that there is some "controlling" entity that defines our lives.

We are what we are, and we control our own "fates". I would think that if there was some "higher" entity, it would have better things to do than manage our simple lives.

No offense, but your lack of comfort doesn't determine what is or isn't true.

While I tend to agree, this is sure to rub some the wrong way...

I admit that this is a touchy subject, and sooner or later it will end in a lock. (I'd rather it be later...)
 
I've read the foundation series, though I thought this stuff before hand.

I'd be willing to bet society as a whole would be easier to predict... but getting down to the individuals... I imagine it's possible as well.

It IS sort of discomfiting, but ...
 

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