Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
-JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
Very recently, I was watching an episode of Supernatural which talked about how we were all predestined to choose the same path that had been set down for us and no matter what we do to move away from this path, we always end up coming back to it- for lack of better words- our destiny. This got me thinking about free will and whether it is really present or are we all playing the parts we were assigned and following a set script, bringing to mind Shakespeare's monologue-
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances; "
Then I came across the quote by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (mentioned above). Sitting down to ponder on this made me even more confused. My dilemma was that even though life events were unexpected and that we were given a choice to react to it in our own way, the question arose whether these so-called random life events were actually 'random' by nature or set down for us to put us on to a path. Also based on people's nature of not changing quickly, it can be assumed that each one of us, based on our track records are expected to react in one specific manner (though surprises are definitely possible but rare). So it got me wondering whether we were set those life events for which it was almost 'determined' that we would react in a specific way? If so where is the free- will or 'choice' we are promised?
This became very depressing to even think about. It reduced us to puppets who were being played by what we called 'fate'. Then unexpectedly I received an answer from one of the fiction book series I was reading- The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. It talked about the ever-lasting nature of our soul. This in turn led me to start thinking about 'Destiny' in a more positive light.
I have firmly believed that our 'Soul' is immortal and enduring. It outlasts our physical bodies. I also believe that each soul is created with specific challenges set to its name. It is the soul's mission to complete these challenges and that it uses the physical body and the various incarnations as mediums to help achieve them. Once the soul is able to fulfil these challenges, it becomes a whole and finally and fully frees itself. Thus, in the end, it is good that even if we are following a set script for ourselves, it is all ultimately for the fact that we can be truly and forever free.
I guess our role in the soul's journey is to realise what mission it is pursuing in the current incarnation and help aid it further faster in order to complete our journey towards true freedom faster. Unwittingly we may slow down the soul's journey and thus delay ourselves. So we do have some choice in our lives- to choose to thwart and delay our life's mission or help speed it up.
So I would like to end it by saying that even though we may feel that everything has been pre-determined, we still can make a choice in the little decisions that can afford us satisfaction- the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the friends we have- everything that can physically and emotionally satisfy us. So instead of concentrating and moaning about the fact that we do not have freedom, revel in the small things that afford us pleasure. Follow your instincts as they are wiser than you and contain the knowledge your soul has accumulated throughout your incarnations. Let it guide you on your journey. At the end it is all we can do to aid our journey towards true freedom and light.
-JAWAHARLAL NEHRU
Very recently, I was watching an episode of Supernatural which talked about how we were all predestined to choose the same path that had been set down for us and no matter what we do to move away from this path, we always end up coming back to it- for lack of better words- our destiny. This got me thinking about free will and whether it is really present or are we all playing the parts we were assigned and following a set script, bringing to mind Shakespeare's monologue-
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances; "
Then I came across the quote by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (mentioned above). Sitting down to ponder on this made me even more confused. My dilemma was that even though life events were unexpected and that we were given a choice to react to it in our own way, the question arose whether these so-called random life events were actually 'random' by nature or set down for us to put us on to a path. Also based on people's nature of not changing quickly, it can be assumed that each one of us, based on our track records are expected to react in one specific manner (though surprises are definitely possible but rare). So it got me wondering whether we were set those life events for which it was almost 'determined' that we would react in a specific way? If so where is the free- will or 'choice' we are promised?
This became very depressing to even think about. It reduced us to puppets who were being played by what we called 'fate'. Then unexpectedly I received an answer from one of the fiction book series I was reading- The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. It talked about the ever-lasting nature of our soul. This in turn led me to start thinking about 'Destiny' in a more positive light.
I have firmly believed that our 'Soul' is immortal and enduring. It outlasts our physical bodies. I also believe that each soul is created with specific challenges set to its name. It is the soul's mission to complete these challenges and that it uses the physical body and the various incarnations as mediums to help achieve them. Once the soul is able to fulfil these challenges, it becomes a whole and finally and fully frees itself. Thus, in the end, it is good that even if we are following a set script for ourselves, it is all ultimately for the fact that we can be truly and forever free.
I guess our role in the soul's journey is to realise what mission it is pursuing in the current incarnation and help aid it further faster in order to complete our journey towards true freedom faster. Unwittingly we may slow down the soul's journey and thus delay ourselves. So we do have some choice in our lives- to choose to thwart and delay our life's mission or help speed it up.
So I would like to end it by saying that even though we may feel that everything has been pre-determined, we still can make a choice in the little decisions that can afford us satisfaction- the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the friends we have- everything that can physically and emotionally satisfy us. So instead of concentrating and moaning about the fact that we do not have freedom, revel in the small things that afford us pleasure. Follow your instincts as they are wiser than you and contain the knowledge your soul has accumulated throughout your incarnations. Let it guide you on your journey. At the end it is all we can do to aid our journey towards true freedom and light.
