well logically its undeniable that we all live fate-driven lives.
if you believe in causality then you believe in fate.
causality being that a leads to b leads to c, each event is set in motion by a prior event.
if you scratch your nose, its because something made it itch. something made it itch because something else made that something do something. hehe.
people think they have free will because they feel as though they can choose between option a or b. but there's no way to prove that they could have chosen different than what they did. if they choose A they can't reverse time, line up all the variables exactly as they were (including being unaware that they are about to prove they have choice) and then choose B.
yes, there are tons of people who hit a stage in their life and CHOOSE to change things and do. BUT, for whatever the reason, its actually a cummulation of antecedent events which pile up and for no apparent reason flick a switch that causes this change.
now, the only way to over ride fate (if this is even possible) is to do things that you dont feel comfortable doing but that you know you should. you might be afraid to go to the gym, but do it anyway. you might detest eating healthy but you do it anyway. you may be afraid to ask that girl out, but you do it anyway. you might be anxious about getting a new wardrobe but do it anyway. you might be nervous about joining extra curricular activities but do it anyway.
basically, FEAR is the main mechanism by which fate keeps you moving in a straight line. overcoming fear seems to have amazing side effects, including unsuspecting positively things.
so in a sense, i believe we are controlled by fate up until the point where we stop being afraid. at this point we gain just a sliver of freedom - enough though that it makes a big difference.
but i also suppose that in the grand scheme of things the antecedents that lead me to this conclusion were all part of my "fate". had i not experienced certain things, read certain books, etc. (all of which were fairly random, or i was lead to by previous things) I would not have the view i have.
so yes, i do beleive ultimately our lives are already written. i also believe though that we are given a sense of choice so that we will "feel" life to its fullest. wasn't shakespear who said "life is but a stage, filled with sound and fury, signifying nothing." it signifies nothing because no matter what your failures or your successes, YOU were merely a vessel of cummulative variables interacting with the world around you.
deepok Chopra frames it a bit differently and argues that there are two YOU's. one that is living in the world, your mind, your body, your emotions, your thoughts, etc. and the spiritual YOU. the spiritual you is not touched by anything in this world. It merely observes it all from the metaphysical realm. in a sense, you exist to entertain yourself, well your metaphysical self. hehe.
anyway, you can go on for years with this philosophic debate. heck, probably forever, given that no one will ever be able to truly prove it.
but all in all, i do believe that our lives are basically written, and its just part of play that we act our role as though we were in control of ourselves.
now, the next big logical question then becomes - why write bad fates for some folks and not others
