Serendipity - "The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident"
A couple weeks back I had an interesting and unprompted conversation with a close friend (call it an ironic form of serendipity if you will) about the idea of serendipity, it's connotations and the wider perspective surrounding it's meaning. I myself like the idea of serendipity; among the obvious benefits it makes life a little bit more interesting and myself that much more thankful even though I believe everything happens for a reason. My friend agreed to an extent but suggested that although things may happen for a reason the idea that our whole life is mapped out is hard to believe. If it is, we hardly end up going in that direction, at least not in the way initially planned.
Hmmm...
The belief resultant from that statement is that our lives may not be mapped out by god or fate (depending on what you believe in) as sometimes we choose things that we know we dont really want but we go ahead and choose it anyway. Surely if our lives were mapped out for us, the notion would be for us to choose exactly what we want even if mistakes were made; as the outcome would turn out right in the end. My friend had a point but from the wider perspective we must realise that life has always been a series of decisions and just because we may make bad ones it doesn't mean that it wasn't part of the overall plan. A journey is never a linear direction, if that was the case we would ALWAYS get what we were looking for right? Nonetheless another question dawned on me...
If we were giving the power of free will would it not seem a strange but logical contradiction to the idea of fate?
Some people like to play with free will and fate by blaming a decision or lack of decision on the idea that everything happens for a reason. It makes them feel better and lightens the burden of being responsible for everything that happens to them. "I guess it just wasnt meant to be" OR "If it's meant to be there'd be a sign" (Pssh please). Indeed I feel strongly that some things are meant and of course some not but using it as an excuse or taking advantage of that privilege not only undermines your value but causes prevention of a knowledgable journey. Simultaneously though, it's more acceptable when people sacrifce their decisions either to please others or because they are scared of the outcome. It is these mechanisms of free will that allow me to think that the strange contradiction may not be such a contradiction after all.
Serendipity's a funny thing aint it.
A couple weeks back I had an interesting and unprompted conversation with a close friend (call it an ironic form of serendipity if you will) about the idea of serendipity, it's connotations and the wider perspective surrounding it's meaning. I myself like the idea of serendipity; among the obvious benefits it makes life a little bit more interesting and myself that much more thankful even though I believe everything happens for a reason. My friend agreed to an extent but suggested that although things may happen for a reason the idea that our whole life is mapped out is hard to believe. If it is, we hardly end up going in that direction, at least not in the way initially planned.
Hmmm...
The belief resultant from that statement is that our lives may not be mapped out by god or fate (depending on what you believe in) as sometimes we choose things that we know we dont really want but we go ahead and choose it anyway. Surely if our lives were mapped out for us, the notion would be for us to choose exactly what we want even if mistakes were made; as the outcome would turn out right in the end. My friend had a point but from the wider perspective we must realise that life has always been a series of decisions and just because we may make bad ones it doesn't mean that it wasn't part of the overall plan. A journey is never a linear direction, if that was the case we would ALWAYS get what we were looking for right? Nonetheless another question dawned on me...
If we were giving the power of free will would it not seem a strange but logical contradiction to the idea of fate?
Some people like to play with free will and fate by blaming a decision or lack of decision on the idea that everything happens for a reason. It makes them feel better and lightens the burden of being responsible for everything that happens to them. "I guess it just wasnt meant to be" OR "If it's meant to be there'd be a sign" (Pssh please). Indeed I feel strongly that some things are meant and of course some not but using it as an excuse or taking advantage of that privilege not only undermines your value but causes prevention of a knowledgable journey. Simultaneously though, it's more acceptable when people sacrifce their decisions either to please others or because they are scared of the outcome. It is these mechanisms of free will that allow me to think that the strange contradiction may not be such a contradiction after all.
Serendipity's a funny thing aint it.
1 comments so far....:
Really good food for thought, Im enjoying your blogs
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