Predetermination, free will or both.

Most people wonder about the future and the mysteries of the universe.  One might contemplate, what is going to happen in my life 5 years from now?  One might believe where your future is determined by the decisions you make in the present day. Simply put, those people believe in free will. Free will is the ability to decide or an action that is totally in your control.  Some people might believe that what is going to happen in the next 5 years, is destiny and there is nothing they can do about it; therefore,  believing  in predetermination. Predetermination is the act of a person having no control or choice over the events that occur in their life. Conversely, there are some people that believe free will can occur in certain situations. This topic is one of the most controversial and hotly debated topics among scientists, philosophers, religious leaders and psychologists.

Free will is a wonderful thing.  Having choice over your words, actions and everything that happens in your life, sounds liberating.   One could also say they are the master of their own destiny. Someone who believes in freewill would probably agree people are responsible for their own actions. For example, someone crashes into another person’s car.  For example, one would say that a person who crashed into a car is at fault. Other possible contributing factors to the crash such as not paying attention, or being on the phone while driving, texting, braking too late, or driving too fast could play a role. Therefore, if the person were not doing one of those things, the crash would have never happened. Concluding, those who believe in free will say if the driver took more precautionary measures the crash would have never happened. 

Others who believe in free will, believe everything in the universe is completely random. Therefore, nothing has purpose. Therefore, they reject karma, serendipity, miracles, luck and other acts of the universe. Those who preach that life and everything that happens in the universe is random have received as much controversy as those that believe there is other life in the universe. Most would find it hard to fathom that someone’s life is random and there was no plan or purpose before birth.  For example, Michael Jordan just so happened to not make his high school basketball team and then went on to the NBA to become a superstar. Some would argue that it was his destiny or was it?

Predetermination is a mind-boggling thing most might say. A person’s every step and action were already decided. One may ask, is a murderer responsible for his actions or to be blamed, if his act was already predetermined? Therefore, God, Buddha, or whoever is the creator of the universe should be held responsible if they predetermined that action in that murderer’s life. However, others might say predetermination is an exciting thing for some people. For example, if a person is predetermined to be a billionaire was it going to happen to them either way?  This is where predetermination receives controversy among those who preach it. Why would one person be destined for greatness and to do kind acts? While another is destined for misery and to do evil acts. Most would argue with that logic. Philosophers such as Sam Harris, Albert Einstein and Gary Weber believe in lack of free will. 

Choice is a great thing one might say. Having a purpose would be another great thing most people would also say. Is it possible to have free will in some scenarios and predetermination in other scenarios? Some might argue you can only believe in one or the other. One might say you are the genetics you are born with, your parents, whether you born in an upper, lower- or middle-class family is your predestination. While things like who you fall in love with,  a future job and what habits acquired in a lifetime is free will. 

Imagine you are at a party. You look over at someone. That person can be that person’s predetermined soulmate. However, they must get up the courage to go talk to that person. In that scenario, it is free will whether they talk to that person or not. Therefore, if they choose not to talk to that person, that person could miss a huge opportunity in their life. 

Most can agree the universe is a mystical place. Everybody believes in different theories and philosophies. People believe in different religions, cultures and scientific methods. Whether a person believes in predetermination, free will or a little bit of both. There is no scientific or compelling evidence whether a person’s life or the universe is predetermined, or someone has free will, or if it is a little bit of both.  At this point in time, it is really a matter of opinion.