Awhile back my partner and I were discussing the topic of free choice and whether it truly exists. Many of us have struggled to come up with a definitive opinion on the matter, with my partner and I being no exception. While he is of the mindset that God gave us a free will, I am of the mindset that “everything happens for a reason.” This debate is amplified beyond the home front, with many faiths preaching from the pulpit the concept of pre-destiny or preordained destiny. Simply stated, a higher power has already defined a path for each of us and that every event in history was planned ahead of time. Given this scenario, how can free choice possibly exist? After all, free choice and preordained destiny are opposing ideologies, or are they? Is it possible for free will and preordained destiny to co-exist? Or is that we may think we have a choice, but in reality we really don’t. That every choice we ever make is actually based on a script a higher power created and we are actors playing out a specific role.
As much as I am a firm believer that “everything happens for a reason”, I find this idea unsettling. After all, I would like to think that I have some choice of how my life turns out. If free will is lacking and our life is scripted, then why be here at all? My partner will tell you though that I often contradict myself. In fact, this topic is proof positive of that for as much as I enjoy expressing free choice, I also entertain fate. There are times when I actually find comfort in knowing that people come into my life for a day, a year, or a lifetime for one or more reasons. I also find solace in knowing certain events are meant to happen to teach one or more lessons. I can cite numerous examples of people coming into my life at just the right moment. This is one point where my partner and I actually agree for he came into my life at a time when I really really needed someone like him in my life. There have also been a number of events in my life that seemed insignificant at the time, but discovered those events triggered other events that culminated into something magnificent.
Understandably there are doubters among those who read this post. Even my partner says from time to time that I place too much emphasis on trivial events; using mere thoughts to create something extraordinary from the ordinary. But is that really so bad? After all, it is with this mindset that I seek my potential and my life purpose in creative ways. All I hope is that pre-destiny does not get in the way of all that I wish to accomplish.
Then one day God placed the answer before me as my partner and I were making dinner. My partner started to talk about his day and how he read an interesting article on how video games were made. Over the years, they have become very complex and sophisticated; not only in terms of graphics, sounds, animations, etc. but also in terms of the endless choices the player can make during the course of the game. Not only that, even more choices were possible each time the game was played, resulting in a different experience each session. I thought to myself, that is absolutely brilliant! When asked how this was done, my partner said that the creator of a very popular video game summed it up by saying that his programmers give their fans an “illusion of free choice”… meaning… while a player may be given what appears to be an endless array of choices, the truth is all those choices were thought about ahead of time and based on each choice, a different path was laid out. Bingo. A higher power is among us to give us the answer. It is with preordained destiny that we are given endless possibilities to exercise our free will.
Remember … touch a life today “The Little Way” by following the lead and need of others. Also, if you ever thought to yourself, “I wish my community, knew…”, then be sure to visit White Light Communications at http://www.tothewhitelight.com.
~ Theresa
Doing It "The Little Way" 