Mythogem # 5 - Fate, Destiny, Free-Will, Predestination, & Time-travel

Image courtesy of http://www.salikon.dk/loom_behind_fate.html.

I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. ― Joseph Campbell

We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, never to be undone. ― William James

Dreams are like stars . . . you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny. ― Unknown

How we experience the world depends on what we believe our roles are.

Do purpose and meaning exist outside of us, somewhere out there, or are they dependent on us; are we the sole creators or are we subject to a Creator? This is the biggest question that humanity has wrestled with from time in memoriam, but I will not propose an answer here because, like Campbell, I believe that you are already the answer you yourself need: “Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question [i.e., if life has a meaning] when you are the answer.”

In the debate of “the-question-of-existence” we have the matters of Fate and Destiny, Free Will and Predestination, so which do you believe governs life?

Do we weave our own fate or has it already been orchestrated? Can one change one’s fate and, therefore, alter destiny? In life, what do we really have power and control over? Are we able to choose our own adventure, or has our adventure been reserved or preordained? Or is there truth in the paradox: we were predestined to have free will? And does true love result in finding our soulmate? What power is there in choice? These are the essential questions of any literary work as much as they are the threads of our everyday life.

What do you believe your role is?

And if personality is consistent and unchanging, is your own personality-type a result of fate; why or why not?

Another important aspect of these concepts is their relationship to Time. We are all time-travelers. But some of us choose to live in different realms of Time. For instance, are you a past time-traveler; do you spend most of your time dwelling on/in the past? Are you a present time-traveler; do you live for the moment? Or are you a future time-traveler; do you spend most of your time looking into the future, living for tomorrow? How does your view of Time relate to your beliefs about Fate and Destiny, Free Will and Predestination?