What is Destiny and can we really change it?

Question

Do we really have a way to influence our destiny or is it set in stone. And if we can, can we really or is it our destiny to believe we can. Hmmm.... THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ALL ANSWERS!

Hmmm. Wow. These are great answers. Most of you have answered my first question. You've said we can change the unchangeable destiny. You've said we do not know what it is. You've said FREE WILL. All that is super. But you're forgetting something I posted: Is it our destiny to try to change it? And if that is so, then we can't really change our destiny, can we? Free will is perhaps a state of mind in that case. We believe we have the ability to do so (and like I said in one of my answers to another philosophical question) an all-knowing being commonly believed in knows we want to change our destiny and makes us believe we can and makes us believe we know what our purpose is. But he ultimately holds us in his power. We may therefore believe we have a choice and a say in what happens in our lives, but is that just a belief? Because it may be our destiny to avoid the destiny we believe is ours, only to really be headed towards your true destiny that you know nothing about. ................

Answer 1

Destiny can be changed through application of free will, strong will, right and appropriate efforts etc. etc.
In fact you can even change it completely leaving no traces at all.

Let me prove it logically to you :
There can be two premises. At least one of the two is surely
correct.
1. Destiny can be changed
2. Destiny can not be changed.

Let us take the first premise first.
It logically implies what I stated first towards beginning of the question.

Let us examine the second premise.
Let us assume Destiny can't be changed.

Ok, let us analyze further.
What is destiny ?
Is that what someone tells you your destiny is? No.
Is what you think your destiny is your destiny ? No.

If there is some higher self, higher being then he or she tells your your destiny then is this your destiny ?
Ok higher self ... hmmm.
How higher is that being ?
What if I apply my will at a much higher and at subtler level than at the level from which that higher being saw your destiny ?
Then my will will have higher power and the prophecy of that higher being will not hold good in front of my will.

So in conclusion even if you can not change the "Destiny", it does not matter. Since there is no way you can know what that "Unchnageble Destiny" is for you.

So what are you left with ?
No superstitions.
No belief in higher beings seeing and telling you your destiny since I just proved that even his or her prophecies can be altered
(if you desire then even completely).

So, you are left with the laws of nature, the laws of society, the principles and rules of science, the principles and rules of Spiritual science and your free will and your rational mind and your experiences and lessons of your life through the on-going education in life (including your schooling and your professional experiences), your emotions etc.

But since you can never know "What this unchangeable destiny is" - you are left with the above to apply your will, your FREE WILL to change anything, or rather to create anything for yourself, to mold your life the way you want to, to achieve anything that you really want.

You can't change the "Unchangeable Destiny" (our premise) but since there is no way one can know what this "Unchangeable Destiny" is what one can at most know is Destiny. One can never know "Unchangeable Destiny" since there are no means to know it. So any Destiny which one has been told or one believes in is changeable, reversible, completely alterable since it is not actually your destiny (what I called "Unchangeable Destiny").

So whatever destiny one comes to know IS ALWAYS CHANGEABLE, ALTERABLE, COMPLETELY CHANGEABLE etc. by the means I mentioned at the beginning of my answer (and at other places).

I just proved what I stated at the beginning of my answer irrespective of which premise of the two is correct.

Answer 2

It depends on the way you live your life. If you let your self go on with whatever u think as destiny, then it would lead you to what you are not. Nor destiny can change us nor can we change our destiny, if you are not living u r destiny then it can be said that destiny will change us. What matter a lot is the way you chose to live, we have our own specific character and destiny. Most of the ppl don't know what is their destiny and so they live a lie and in the sense it could be said that we can change our destiny, it depends on what you think not how the world works.

Answer 3

It is good to see that all of us believe we can change our destiny. Otherwise, who would make any effort to do anything?

However, we know how uncertain everything is, especially the future. When we are not able to ensure something even for tomorrow, how can we believe we can change our Destiny?

This would be the argument from one who is trying to find an excuse for not doing something worthwhile seriously.

Yes, we are not all powerful and yet, we are not really powerless either. We have certainly the power to believe or not to believe in Destiny.

So there it is. Whether we can change our Destiny or not is uncertain either way. Yet that really does not matter.

What really matters is whether we choose to believe in Destiny

in order to slacken our own endeavor

or to empower us to face any failures and move forward.

Answer 4

I have an interesting theory that perhaps our destiny lies in our DNA. I think its possible that when we're born our DNA determines our personality, and therefore determines which actions we will choose in each situation. People will say "well what about your environment?". Well thats why all of our destinies are intertwined. What we experience is based off of what other people do, because of the decisions they made due to their DNA. So our very first experience is purely what our DNA tells us to do, and our second experience is what our DNA says plus what we compute based on our first experience, and so on and so on. According to my theory, if you had a ridiculously awesome super computer you'd be able to calculate all the variables that would cause someone to make a certain decision based on a certain stimulus, and therefore would be able to predict the future given enough information(which getting that information at this point is impossible, and using it in any useful way is even more impossible with our technology). So basically our lives and destinies are just one big chain reaction from the very first people's dna.

Answer 5

The word destiny is the description of movement from the past to the present and going to the future. Ex Selfishness is when I say what I want is important and I must get it through any means. In this description selfishness is FREE WILL( I am the king of my self).My destiny is when I was selfish in the past then I am still selfish now (present) If I did not dissolve my selfishness now, because my free will is important, I will still be selfish in the future.(my destiny).
If by chance that I opened my eyes that what I do now is destructive to all then immedeatelly my selfishness (free will ) stopped. The opening of my eyes is not free will, it is enlightenment.

Answer 6

If we have free will, then we can change our destinies. What do you believe? It all comes down to what you personally believe.

Answer 7

Destiny is the broad frame work of your life. in other words with the given amount of physical, mental and spiritual power, what will be the limit of your attainment in this life?
It cannot be totally changed but with divine grace certain modifications can be attained.

Answer 8

My belief is that destiny is a broad stroke. Before we are born, we consciously choose the lessons to learn in this incarnation--just as we choose in a university which classes to attend. Whether we actually learn anything in the class is a secondary decision, made day-to-day. The lesson remains the same, but should we fail we have to repeat the course.

Answer 9

In islam destiny is called Qada and Qadar. What it means is that Allah already knows whats going to happen in the future but Allah has given man the ultimate power to change his destiny himself. So please let all use this power usefully.

Answer 10

If you believe that your thoughts become your reality then Destiny is whatever you think about. Or maybe not. Who really knows? Just go for it - whatever 'it' is, I say.