Control and The Role of Destiny, Free Will, and Fate

Control and The Role of Destiny, Free Will, and Fate

Control. Who is in control of our actions and decisions and what happens as a result of them? As humans, we like to believe that we are in control of our actions and decisions and that we are in complete control of where we go and what we do in life, but is that really the case? Are there other factors besides us that help determine where we go and what we do in life? Is there a supreme being, such as God, that controls where our actions and decisions will take us and even influences our decisions, or does chance/fate and only chance/fate play a factor in decisions we make and their outcomes? Do other people have the ability to control our actions and us, or is that not possible?

As was stated, the nature of humans is to want to feel like one is in control of him/herself and where his/her decisions will lead him/her in life. We like to believe that we aren't influenced when making decisions, but, after discussing the topic of what influences our decisions in class, I realized that most of our decisions are influenced, in some way or another, by our peers, our family, television, movies, music, teachers, and so forth.

For example, take the topic of clothing. Why do we wear the clothes we wear? When I go to school, I generally see people in the same clique wearing similar clothing. Some people believe that they buy the clothing they buy only because it feels comfortable and it (supposedly) lasts a long time, but, in my opinion, I think students' decisions of what clothing to purchase are influenced by their peers and also by the companies that make clothing. If a person's friends didn't wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing, they probably wouldn't wear it. Clothing manu...

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...ven the same decision, but where that decision leads them may be totally different. God has a plan for everyone's life, and HE uses the decisions we make to guide us down the path HE wants us to go, not necessarily where we want to go. Someone can decide that he/she wants to become a really, really rich business person, but if God doesn't want that to happen, He'll use their decisions they think are leading them to become a businessman/woman for His own purpose.

We all like to feel like we're in control of our lives and what's going to happen to us, but that actually isn't the case. This feeling we desire comes from pride - we think we can do what WE want on OUR own, without God, without realizing that He has already planned what's going to happen to us. So next time you think, "Some day I'm going to...," remember that what you want isn't always going to happen.