Whenever I am idle I find that my mind has slipped into one of many repetitive grooves of thought. Almost like the needle of a gramophone clicking in place on to a record. One such sound track on this record is the dilemma between destiny and desire.
I often used to wonder if we are where we are because we are destined or because we desire it. Over the years I have realized that it is human tendency to blame destiny when things go wrong and to claim credit when things go in our favour . But that's neither here nor there. How can life be a combination of such contradictory elements? I put it down to man's need for delusion as a tool for survival. But this doesn't satisfy me.
Lets look at destiny. Our tradition and culture teaches us to believe in it. Astrology,palmistry etc all would have us believe that our futures are written down ,set in stone. I imagine it to be something similar to Brownian theory of particle movement, where particles move due to collision with random particles which are in motion. The destination is then determined by those particles rather than conscious decision.
Desire on the other hand could be comparable to a prince of persia or mario or any other game where you cross hurdles , fight fights, get success and potions and what not. You have complete control over your actions. While I tend to lean towards this train of thought ,it excludes variables and actions of the million other marios and luigis in the same game.
I have come to believe that neither destiny nor desire completes the picture. To continue the analogy life to me is like a game of blind man's buff , where every player is blind. The only thing everyone has is choice. Left or right, forward or backward,stay or go. Our choices determine where we go. The choices of others colour and affect our decisions. Intuition ,luck play a role in determining whether we run into obstacles or walk unhindered.
Life is neither set in stone nor conquered if only one has the will. Life is unpredictable .... so make the choice and move.
I often used to wonder if we are where we are because we are destined or because we desire it. Over the years I have realized that it is human tendency to blame destiny when things go wrong and to claim credit when things go in our favour . But that's neither here nor there. How can life be a combination of such contradictory elements? I put it down to man's need for delusion as a tool for survival. But this doesn't satisfy me.
Lets look at destiny. Our tradition and culture teaches us to believe in it. Astrology,palmistry etc all would have us believe that our futures are written down ,set in stone. I imagine it to be something similar to Brownian theory of particle movement, where particles move due to collision with random particles which are in motion. The destination is then determined by those particles rather than conscious decision.
Desire on the other hand could be comparable to a prince of persia or mario or any other game where you cross hurdles , fight fights, get success and potions and what not. You have complete control over your actions. While I tend to lean towards this train of thought ,it excludes variables and actions of the million other marios and luigis in the same game.
I have come to believe that neither destiny nor desire completes the picture. To continue the analogy life to me is like a game of blind man's buff , where every player is blind. The only thing everyone has is choice. Left or right, forward or backward,stay or go. Our choices determine where we go. The choices of others colour and affect our decisions. Intuition ,luck play a role in determining whether we run into obstacles or walk unhindered.
Life is neither set in stone nor conquered if only one has the will. Life is unpredictable .... so make the choice and move.
