Do we have the power to shape our lives, or are we predestined to be who we are?

Question

If our Fate is but one amongst many, then whose life, if anyone's, is real? If our lives are indeed the sum-total of the choices we've made, then how can we change who we are. But with every new choice we're given, can we change who we're going to be?

Answer 1

I believe that all humans are to serve some kind of purpose (via destiny). However throughout our life experiences, enirvonment and certain influences in our lives; our course to destiny, can be destroyed, changed, or go beyond any of our expectations. I believe fate is a combination of our choices in our lives, our destiny and what God (if you believe in him) has planned for us on this Earth. I dont believe the fate is written in stone and I believe there are processes that we have to encounter in our lives.....to understand our true purpose or the clear understanding of our lives. Choices help make what we are as individuals. But they are based on our personality or mind set (people around us, our age, etc.). A person can come across the same kind of options throughout their lifetime and will not make the same decisions as they grow mentally, physically or spiritually. So in a nutshell, life is basically what u make of it and if you are destined to be on a different road (destiny/fate) than what you originally choose; people, events, decisions, etc. will help guide you to the right road for YOUR life.

Answer 2

There are many ways to approach an answer this question just as there many ways to approach the question.If you choose to go by the Bible,your steps are pre-destined before you are born,which would indicate that no matter what choice you make,i.e.,you choose to turn right at a corner as oppossed to turning left,your decision was already pre-ordained.HOWEVER,if you choose to follow the Bible,we were all given the gift of free-will which means that our descions are ours to make without any cosmic or spiritual influence whatsoever.Buddhism teaches us that with each new step we take we decide on how our foot will land onto the path before us.In the end...you decide what your path will be.Whether you will live it as an honorable person or as a wretch..the decision is yours.No one's destiny is engraved in stone,nor can anyone write the next page that will complete a chapter in your life.You are the author of your life's story and you are the navigator of which path you will choose.Therefore..it is safe to say that YOU and only YOU have the power to shape and control your destiny,while others may give you input..you have the sole decision on what you will be,how you will live,who you will love and how you will affect the lives of those who come in contact with you.You are the only one who can decide what your life will be.Selah

Answer 3

Wowa! What a huge question. I've got the feeling that this is a case of freedom within limits. We have constraints, such as genetic ones, upbringing, tradition, diet even, but if we analyze our life and ourselves, we can gradually make our automatic responses pliable enough to become our own. But we do need constraints, and we do need habits too. Trying to analyze everything is tedious and fruitless. For me, with my life, I've undertaken to be the real me, to be true to myself. So I'm the odd one out in the family now and share nothing in common with them. Being me means I've got trouble with finding someone. Everyone seems to have taken the motorway, make that the M25 ring cos they're going round in circles. I took the dirt trail. I've had some spectacular views and it's been very lonely. At the end of the day, I'm the one living alone. Yes, we can change what we want to be, but society with all the add ons may make sure that it's not for the better. What I mean is, we can make ourselves into whatever we want to be, but will society let us thrive? A Muslim friend asked me once, 'would you rather be free and starving or a well fed captive?' Best wishes, hope this is of some use. :-)

Answer 4

Your DNA predetermines the natural paramiters of your being and you shape your behavior within that shell.

If you had two persons with the same DNA and raised them in two different cultures, they would start out the same, but as they experienced different situations in the different cultures, they would make different decissions on how to hopefully maxamize their own success in that specific culture. They would have "different lives" based on the "sum-total of the choices they made" and therefore they would act different from each other, even though they would be the exact same DNA person. Sceeeeeaaach! .

Not only CAN you "change who your are," but you do change yourself in every conscious and mostly unconscious decissions you make. But, that is not really what you are asking, right?

Are you asking, that if you can change yourself as you pass through life, how can your life be considered real, if there is no predetermined person you will become in the end? Right?

Please consider your belief system around what is ":real" what is "fate" and an assumption that your life cannot be real, if your end personality is unknown to you or to some god watching you.

Also consider, how and why you make the decissions you are constantly presented with, because different people will make different decissions then you in the same exact situation and you both can defend your thinking with different logic applied. Of course, that may indicate that the evidence and form of your logic is not always logically chosen.

Or is your question, "Why do I have to keep thinking about how to operate my life all the time, it is just too much work?"

Live free and be,
Cj

Answer 5

I believe that the choices you made shape your destiny. At any one point, you can change your destiny by making a new choice.

I went to a fortune teller when I was 18 and she told me that my life will take a certain path but she couldn't say it would really happen because at the time, I hadn't made a critical choice yet... my life lines were faint.

So you do have the power to shape your lives, but you do have to live with the consequences of your choices.

Answer 6

i think that we try to shape our lives but are lives are still predestined. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.

Answer 7

This is a tricky question. No one knows any person's destiny. When we go through life as one person, then we, like you said, make choices to "change who we are going to be," who is to say that making choices to change who we are going to be is not in fact leading us to fulfill our predestined goal?
To answer your question I say that we are predestined to believe that we have the power to shape our own lives and in doing so we "shape" our lives to fit our destiny.

Answer 8

Predestination is for the weak at heart. People want to be able to let go of the reigns of their lives and not have to be concerned about thier choices. So blame god or fate or some other master plan then nothing you do is your fault.

Answer 9

If you decide to drive off a cliff? fate or choice
If you decide to go to college and get a degree? Fate or choice
If you decide to each a lot of unhealthy food? Fate or choice

There are numerous choices that we make everyday. Some affect us now in little ways but some can have a long term effect. YOU and only you control you body and what you do. We feel as though we dont because for most of us we fall into a daily rountine of events making us feel like we dont have control.

Answer 10

I think we are destined to be who we are. People that come from poor families usually remain poor because they can't afford to get an education and if they did they would probably spend alot of money helping their family so they would still be poor. Sucessful people usually have sucessful children. You don't see sucessful men marrying woman that are poor, they always just seem to "fall in love" with a sucessful woman. Other circumstances make it difficult for people to improve themselves as the poor can't afford tutors or may have alot of home responsibilities that interfer with them getting a better education. I have made some bad choices in my life which made me worse off but at the same time I see people who do much dumber things and things seem to turn aroundfor them. They owe alot of money or are losing their home and all of a sudden someone dies and leaves them a lot of money and they pay off their debts and buy alot of stuff.