By: Erin Roetker
Editor-in-Chief
“Everything happens for a reason,” a common phrase used when something monumental happens. Whether the action is good or bad, it has happened for a reason. The dictionary definition of fate is, “the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events.”
In this great world around us, we have little control. Not many can fathom how large the universe really is and how tiny we really are. Sure, we can control what we can eat for breakfast or what clothes to put on in the morning, whom we will spend our time with and what grade we will get in a class. When it comes to the more important life decisions we have a purpose and predetermined fate.
Another common phrase is “everyone has a purpose.” As teenagers, we are constantly searching for that defining moment when we find out why we are here. When that moment comes, we are suddenly in the happiest state of mind. The beautiful thing about it is we already have a path in front of us. We have to figure out how to walk down it and make the best decisions, have the best relationships, and be as positive as we can be in order to get to the end of the path.
That is not to say that we are all puppets and there is one entity, one person, one god, controlling every move we make. We have our own choices to make. The idea of our minds being controlled by someone other than ourselves is ridiculous. We obviously make personal judgments, form opinions, and make our own decisions. The difference between decision-making and fate is short-term vs. long term. The flow of the world and its energies will overpower any choice that we try and make.
No person was created the same as any other. It is possible that as humans we will have some of the same characteristics, or enjoy the same activities, but in no way is every aspect the same in two human beings. There is a purpose for each person being the way that they are. We were all made different for a reason, an important reason. There is a job for each person and something that every person has to accomplish in their lifetime. We were all meant to walk down different paths to different destinations by the power of fate.
By: Ashley Davis
Opinion Editor
Free will is the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion. Fate, on the other hand, is the development of events outside a person’s control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power. In the east, it is a common belief that life is guided by fate and if you come from the west, you likely believe that life is guided by your own free will.
The idea of fate seems to make sense in many situations. Sometimes people find themselves in situations that just can’t be explained in any other way besides fate. I believe that each individual has the power to make their own choices, and each one of these choices affects others.
The choices we make in this life are choices we decide to make, and are not necessarily part of a plan. Rather than “a plan,” I believe in patterns. Patterns occur in every aspect of life. In fact, life itself is a pattern. We make choices, often guided by emotions and sometimes guided by deep thought and analysis. As far as fate goes, I think it is just a word to explain the outcome or consequences of our choices. Fate is a word that I associate with the pattern that comes out of free will.
The ability to take responsibility for one’s own actions and not leave it up to some outside source is sometimes scary for individuals to comprehend, but life itself is scary. As human beings we are sometimes comforted by the idea that everything happens for a reason. This idea seems to make sense, but not by a force of spirit, rather, the events are a result of one of life’s many patterns. I think that without the idea of fate people would be lost.
Personally, the idea that life is all pre-determined for me is terrifying. I much rather prefer the thought of creating my life, rather than going through the motions only to end up where I’m ‘supposed to be’. That’s just the thing though, whether we believe in fate or free will, we will latch onto whatever makes us more comfortable. This is human nature.
In the end, you make your own decisions, and it creates an endless domino effect. This idea is more complex and not so compartmentalized as to say: “It’s fate. Everything happens for a reason”. I think living your life with this belief is certainly okay, as long as you acknowledge the fact that you need to be responsible for the decisions that you make in life, and you acknowledge the fact that everything you do affects others, whether that be by our fate or a pattern as a result of free will.
You have created yourself and all of your loveliness, and you deserve to take some credit for that.