A friend of mine posed a question about fate vs. choice in regard to marriage saying that, your views on the subject would reflect your view of God. Now, I've struggled with this fate vs. choice thing in a different area of my life, namely my career. I don't know if fate or choice dominated. Yes, I chose to ignore some opportunities. I chose the field of study I pursued. I'm not working in retail or food service, stereotypical fall back professions. Nor do I think I'd ever choose that or that it's purely my choice.
I don't feel I chose this path, like sitting down and saying, "plus column, minus column..." In fact, I didn't want to be in the arts. It pays so lousy, the hours suck and hardly anyone is paying attention anyway. Could I change industries? You bet. I'd go into HR somewhere or project management. Would I be just as happy? How should I know? (Maybe I'll find out) I think in a Christian's life, a life commanded by God, fate and choice work together. God presents us with a series of decisions that lead to our fate. Not being able to make both decisions at the same time to know what the outcome would be limits us in knowing whether it even mattered what decision we made. But God in his omniscience can read our lives like a history.
We can't see it that way. We control so little in our lives. We see fate or choice and think they are mutually exclusive. But perhaps, some things are fate and others choice and that it would be different for each person.
The reason we control so little, going back to that idea, is that, there are other people out there making decisions that effect our lives. I have no control over them and you have no control over me or them. The only person I have control over is myself. This is humbling. Humans don't like to be humbled. Humans tend to fight because they want control. But they can only enjoy the illusion of it. They, we, can never really posses it. At best it's on loan. If you are a good steward of power it will be with you as long as you need it. If not you're Gaddafi and that isn't pretty.
Another interpretation of fate vs. choice has to do with a persons basic feeling toward Humanity. One who ascribes to fate is pessimistic toward Man. For Man is incapable of making a decision independent of a predetermined plan. Therefore nothing is left to his actual control. One who ascribes to choice, on the other hand, is optimistic toward Man. For choice would have it that not only is Man capable of deciding what to do but that he is an active participant in the shape of his life.
I've noticed when I make a certain type of decision I have a feeling of rightness. Like duh, this was the only thing I could do. What is that? Is it fate or me being a cleaver smart ass? I, like most people, don't analyze my decisions unless something went terribly wrong or some one makes me. The feeling of rightness could be ascribed to my brilliance or to benevolent outside forces or a combination. Which is likely? All of it. Why not?
I realize that as a Christian I believe my brilliance comes from God making me out to be a fatalist. This may be true. But we'd still have the problem of evil to wrestle with. Ah, there is always some thing to think about. I'll leave evil for another day.
