What do you think affects you more?

[Salorskin]

Chance. I don't believe in destiny.

[Jitway]

Myself choice but destiny does play a part in other cultures. Say like in Japan where some girls are raised and breed for Geisha.

[Diso]

I believe both coexist along each other. You have the freedom to do what you want and choose where you're going. Pretty much deciding your own destiny and stuff. The misfortunes/happy things that happen in your life are just things that just happen in your path. Plus, being destined to do something sounds cooler than explaining it with chance.

 

"Oh crap that was bad luck"

 

"I was destined to get a nose bleed. It serves a purpose in my life and is a life changing experience for me."

 

Much more dramatic

I object. I believe that although there is an illusion of choice, your mind comes to the same conclusion if confronted with the same circumstances. By that logic, there is no real choice, only calculated reactions to situations. It's not destiny in the mystical sense, but one could still say that all things are predetermined.

 

Obviously, destiny is not in the same case as the mythological sense. I'm not sure if your mind will come to the same conclusion within the same circumstances. I guess it all depends on your way thinking whether spiritual or scientifically. Honestly though, there aren't much examples in the real world you can apply that the event was somehow predetermined. For most cases, I think most people would say it was by chance or coincidence that they were caught up in it. Only some people will say it was a test/sign by some divinity or unknown force.

 

I don't personally believe in an illusion of choice myself. Sure there are many things/decisions in our life that seem to give us a choice or something (products/jobs/education for example), but could be predetermined by a collection of data given by analysts and corporations. Your overall life I believe still is chosen by yourself. We can't really say for sure that something that happens to someone (ie death/love) was predetermined or caused by choice. At least, this is what I think illusion of choice means. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Shoma]

Watch the movie No Country for Old Men, it's full of this fate/chance stuff. The next time someone gives you a coin toss, you'd better guess right.

Or watch the naruto episode where Naruto fights Neji....

 

Sometimes we confuse destiny with not having the mind/power to make a different choice.

Humans have had a nasty knack for birthing sons and daughters with a path already laid out for them, and yet destiny is born in the mind of the kids who see no other way.

but in fact, It was their choice to believe in destiny and not fight it....

 

AS LSD has put, the will of choice reaches even to the heavens.

 

SMith: "Why MR.Anderson!? Why, why, why do you persist!?!?"

Neo: ".....Because I choose to...."